Drawn to Life: The Shadow Riser
by wilfre63
Summary: Meet Rosis, a shy foundling who lives in the Raposa Village a few years after Wilfre's reign of tyranny. He lead a sheltered life, with little knowledge of the Shadow or Wilfre. One day, he befriends a Raposa that could change his life forever... Rated T for last few chapters, no foul language or gore.
1. Rosis

The Shadow Riser

CHAPTER ONE

:Rosis:

Mari sighed and looked at Jowee expectantly. "Oh, what am I going to do?" She asked, throwing her fist into the air. "How am I supposed to be a good mayor if I can't even stop Isaac and chef Cookie from arguing?"

He threw her a sympathetic smile. "Mari, don't worry..." Jowee put his hand on her shoulder. "We've been through worse than this. Think about the adventures you got us through..."

Mari snorted. "I'd rather not... I chose the wrong path to go down, so we ended up being on the opposite side." She looked away. "It's all my fault..."

"Yes, but... That was all Wilfre's fault!" Jowee snapped. "None of what happened was your fault, Mari... Wilfre brainwashed you to be on his side, what he showed you was our world getting destroyed so Mike could wake up... But Wilfre was wrong, our world didn't get destroyed. Otherwise we wouldn't be here now... It was Mike who was sent back home."

She sat on the edge of the Eternal Flame's pedestal. "I know, it's just..." Mari paused. "It's just we've been through so much... Wilfre... Circi... Sometimes I wish the villagers would remember, and would stop fighting. Wilfre is—"

"Who's Wilfre?" A small Rapoboy stood beside Mari, intrigued by their conversation. His purple eyes flicked questioningly behind his chestnut coloured hair. He wore a red wool jumper with green and white zigzag patterns, three huge blue buttons keeping the sleeve attached to the body.

"Rosis, what are you doing here?" Mari asked. "Where's Cricket? He's supposed to be looking after you..."

"Who's Wilfre?" The Rapoboy repeated.

Jowee sighed. "That doesn't matter, Rosis... But what does, is you getting safely home. It's freezing out here, you could catch your death of cold..."

Rosis shook his head sadly. "But I wanna know..." He squeaked and looked up at them with big violet eyes welling up with tears.

Mari huffed. "No, you need to go home now..." She took him gently by the hand and began to walk down the path with him.

Rosis skipped along, looking up occasionally at her. "Please tell me...!" He begged. "I promise I won't tell anyone. Please...!"

Mari stopped and kneeled down next to him. "Rosis, you have to understand. You are better off not knowing who Wilfre is." She picked him up and carried him the rest of the way.

As she and the child came to a low building with a barred window above the door, they stopped. Mari put Rosis on the ground and knocked three times upon the large wooden door.

"Cricket?" Mari called through the keyhole. "Are you in?"

Various locks and chains were clicking and clashing together before the door creaked open, revealing a fair sized police officer with a doughnut in one hand. "Ah, mayor Mari! It's good to see you..."

"Cricket, I thought you agreed to watch Rosis..." Mari gestured to the small boy at her feet. "You know he doesn't have anyone... Not even his parents. No one knows what happened to them."

Cricket sighed and lifted Rosis into his arms. "Hmm... He was playing with Jakob, my son, but it appears the little blighter wandered away unnoticed..."

Rosis pulled on his long animal-like ears with a giggle. "I went to find Mari and Jowee..."

"I see... But you should know better than to run off whenever you want."

He suddenly looked saddened, but lightened again as he remembered something from earlier. "Cricket... Do you know who Wilfre is? Mari won't tell me..."

Cricket frowned and looked at Mari. "Where did he hear this?"

"Uh, he overheard me and Jowee talking..."

"Who's Wilfre?" Rosis ordered and jumped down out of Cricket's grasp.

"Rosis, go inside and play. I need to speak with Mari..."

The little boy growled. "But I don't wanna—"

"—Go inside..." Cricket snapped.

With a sigh, Rosis walked inside of the police station and closed the door behind him. He looked around, seeing how dark and creepy it seemed without the light on. To his right, there was a desk with a stack of paper work and an open box of doughnuts. To his left, a long curling staircase twirled up to the second floor.

Cricket said that Rosis was allowed anywhere in the police station, except upstairs... He wondered what could be up there, could there have been a monster? Or perhaps something scarier... Rosis shuddered at the thought, but knew that he had to find out what was up there. With a quick decision, he walked carefully closer to the staircase, picking up a stick, that stood against the wall,for protection. Just in case something nasty did arise...

"Where are you going, Rosis?" Jakob switched on the light with his right hand and with his left, holding a bag of crisps. "You weren't thinking about going upstairs, were you?" He shuddered.

"Um..." Rosis stuttered and twirled the stick around. "Yes..."

"My Dad says that we're not allowed up there..."

Rosis stared at him. "But what's upstairs...? Is it something horrible...?"

"Oh..." Jakob laughed. "It's just the prisons... I peeked up there once, but my Dad yelled at me..."

"What did you see?" Rosis dropped the stick and listened. "Was it scary...?"

"Yes..." Jakob squeaked.

"Jakob?"

"Ok, it was really scary... There was a few metal cages with Rapos in them... They looked like they'd done something really bad..."

Rosis smiled and tugged on his shirt. "Come on! We could have a little look up there, and if we do get into trouble with a monster or something, we can always throw this stick at them." He showed Jakob the branch.

"Uh, I don't know, Rosis..." He cried in a weak scared voice. "What if something happens...?"

"Nothing will happen. Trust me..." Rosis took his first step onto the staircase.

"Ok..." He followed wearily, glancing into the looming darkness ahead.

The two young Raposa gripped tight on each others sleeves with one hand, clenching their tiny furry hands in case something leapt out at them. Rosis swallowed hard as he reached the second floor. There was a lamp switched on at a dusty desk that stood at the centre of the room. Jail cells surrounded them, but every one was empty...

"I though you said the cages had Rapos in them?" Rosis ran his hand along the bars, creating a dull metallic sound.

"I guess they don't anymore..."

"What do you think happened to them?" Rosis whispered. "Do you think they... Escaped...?"

"I dunno..." Jakob lifted a few sheets of paper from the desk. Files were written on every prisoner and had been laid out neatly.

Rosis wandered to the back of the room, to where a large cell was. "Hey, Jakob... This cell looks like it's being used. There's a bed in the corner, the sheets are all messy... And there's a bowl of food on a tiny little table next to it..."

Jakob creeped over and peered through the bars, examining the mass of objects. "Maybe the Rapo that was in it before has gone..."

"Hmm..." Rosis turned around, Jakob following him.

The two of them looked into the cobweb filled rafters, staring inquisitively at every peculiar corner. Jakob picked up a sheet of paper that was on the floor and tried to make out what it said on it. Unable to understand, he shrugged and folded it to make a paper aeroplane. He and Rosis tossed it across the room happily, throwing it with a yelp of excitement.

"Young Rapos are nothing but trouble..." Whispered a voice from the cage behind them.

The Rapoboys screamed and leapt back, seeing a dark figure perched in the shadows. The figure's voice was soft and feminine, but with an evil tinge to it.


	2. Meeting Circi

CHAPTER TWO

:Meeting Circi:

"Always getting into some mischief or other." She continued. "Never following any orders..."

Rosis swallowed and came closer, hurling the stick at the cell. It hit the bars with a deafening clunk. The figure stared patiently as Jakob raced down the stares and out of the building.

"You do know how long it took Cricket to write on that paper, don't you?" She asked. "Do you not care, little boy?"

"Um..." Rosis shifted a thick layer of dust from the floor.

"What's your name?"

He stared into the murky eyes beyond the cell. "My name's Rosis..."

She blinked. "That's a beautiful name..."

"Thank you..."

"Can you come closer, please?" She continued.

Rosis nodded, walking closer to the cell and sitting cross legged. There was the quiet padding of paws across the floorboards as the figure came closer. She wore a black dress with a frilly white collar, and her hair was a vibrant auburn. With a gentle smile, she sat in front of Rosis.

"I don't get many visitors... In fact, you'll be my first, Rosis..."

"Oh..." He stared up into her eyes. "What's your name?"

"You can call me Circi..."

Rosis smiled back at her. "That's a beautiful name."

"Thank you..." Circi nodded with a slight laugh. "You seem like a lovely young Rapo, Rosis. But what are you doing up here...?"

"Well..." He frowned. "I wanted to know what was up here..."

"Hmm... You have an inquisitive mind, and an adventurous soul... Two things that could be fatal together, but could also turn like clockwork..." Circi sighed. "You remind me of someone I used to know..."

Rosis tilted his head. "Like who...?"

"Oh, no-one..."

He sensed her sadness and wanted to change the subject. "Do you know who Wilfre is? I've been trying to find out but no-one will tell me..."

Circi blinked in surprise. "You don't know who Wilfre is?"

"Nope..."

"I should let you learn with time..." She looked away. "But if you wish to know the truth..."

Rosis nodded frantically.

"Very well..." Circi sighed. "I shall tell you... Wilfre was the last person to steal the Book of Life, the book where the Creator drew everything we know of today. He thought he could draw better than the Creator, so he planned out his own creation. Unfortunately, Wilfre's creations didn't come out quite how he wanted. Instead, he had created Shadow Creatures, they are purely made from the ink from the Creator's pen... Soon enough, he became corrupted, the Shadow became apart of him. From that point forward, Wilfre became the enemy of our village..." She scowled. "And silly me... I fell in love with him... He was my idol, I tried to do anything to speak to him... But I was unsuccessful. When I heard that the Creation Hero killed him, I came here, to the Raposa Village. I became the deputy mayor, but I had other plans too, I wanted to find the Items of Power, the only things allowing us Raposa to draw well in the Book of Life... Once I had them, I tried to draw Wilfre back to life, but I couldn't remember what he looked like! I tried and tried again, constantly rubbing out my mistakes... But little did I know, that I had done something wrong. With every mistake I made, I built something terrible, and finally, the Shadow Monster was alive... It tore apart our village, and when it was defeated, I was imprisoned here..."

Rosis nodded sadly. "I understand now..."

"Rosis..." Circi began. "You remind me of Wilfre... You are so much alike. Your eyes are exactly the same colour... A vibrant purple... I always loved that colour..." She sighed. "Even your personality is the same. Wilfre was always curious, just like you, Rosis..."

There was a creak of loose floorboards as Cricket and Jakob emerged from the stairs. Cricket scowled and pulled Rosis back by the arm.

"Rosis, I thought I told you not to come up here!" He snapped and dragged the boy behind him, so that he could face the lady Raposa in the cell. "Circi, what have you brainwashed him with?! What did you tell him?"

Circi laughed, but so quietly, it might as well have been a cough. "Oh, it was simple... And nothing sinister at that, Cricket..." She sighed as Cricket's glare caught hers. "Fine. I told him who Wilfre was... No harm done..."

"No harm done?!" He bellowed. "This boy is far too young to be told these scary stories of yours! What's more, Rapokids are easily influenced by scheming minds such as your own. As I am sure you are aware..."

Circi nodded. "I know, but I didn't tell him too much. All I said was that Wilfre stole the Book of Life."

"I heard you talking for quite a while, Circi." Cricket pointed out. "You must've said something more than that." He turned to Rosis, who was sat quietly on the floor. "Rosis, you must understand that Wilfre is not a good Raposa. If it wasn't for the Creation Hero, our entire world would have been destroyed because of him! I know your only young, but you have to take into account what has happened before your time..."

"Wilfre is too a good Raposa!" Circi snapped and pressed her face against the cell bars, the chain that coiled itself around her leg rattled impatiently. "Sure he's done a few bad things in his life, but he's good really... At heart he's good..."

Cricket smirked. "Hmm..." He turned to Rosis and Jakob. "Now, let's go outside and discuss the consequences for medalling with my paperwork..." He gestured to the fallen pile of files that was half across the floor. Cricket ushered the Raposa away as Rosis looked back at his new friend.

"Come backtonight, darling..." Circi mouthed to him. "Cricket is on night duty, you can sneak in without being noticed."

CHAPTER THREE

:The Night Time Visitor:

Rosis sat outside of the village hall, pondering about what Circi had said. He looked up into the oily sunset, wishing that Cricket would not return from his night time duty early. Or worse, Unagi... If he returned to the police station, Rosis would be doomed for a lifetime of punishment. As the last drop of golden light bathed the fields in a sun bleached blanket, Rosis snuck away from the Eternal Flame, and began his walk to the station.

The jail loomed overhead, Circi smiled at him through the barred window of the station, gesturing for him to come inside. The Rapoboy crept through the slightly open door, and padded across the floorboards and up the winding staircase for the second time, meeting Circi at her metal cell at the back of the room.

"Hi, Circi..." Rosis smiled innocently.

"Hi..." Came the answer.

He came closer to the cell and looked up at her. "Is there anything that I could give you? You don't sound very well..."

Circi gave a weak laugh. "Hah... Maybe, there is something I would like..."

Rosis stared at her expectantly.

She smiled. "Cricket left this evening, but forgot to give me water with my lunch... If you could pass me the flask on the table over there, I will be very greatful..."

"Ok..." With a step to the left, he caught the old leather flask from Cricket's desk and spun back to hand it to Circi. "Here you go!"

"Thank you..." She opened the lid and took a sip, before laying it on the table gently. "Now... Is there anything I can do for you in return?"

"Is there anything you can tell me about my Mum and Dad...? I never knew them, Mari said they died when I was a little kitten, she took me in and looked after me. But no one will tell me what happened to them... All they said was that they were murdered by a Rapo who was very bad. A dark shadowy figure with white eyes..."

"I'm sorry..." Circi sighed. "But I don't know... Is there anything else?"

"Hmm..." Rosis routed through his memories. "I want to know more about Wilfre..."

Circi sighed. "I'm afraid there's nothing more to say about him, my boy..." She looked away. "Oh, how I long to see him again..."

"Wait, no..." Rosis shook his head. "There's something else I want... I want to bring Wilfre back to life for you..."

Her eyes widened. "Oh, how I'd love that! But... I am afraid you're too young. I don't want you getting hurt out there in that big wide world, I don't think I could ever forgive myself if anything ever happened to you..."

"Oh..."

"But, maybe..." Circi thought for a second. "You could help me when you're older, when I think you are ready..."

"But how will I know when you think I'm ready?" Rosis asked.

"Hmm..." She unclipped the large red gem from her ear and handed it to him through the prison bars. "When you are ready, the red gem will glow bright... When that does happen, return here. But do not return until it does. I don't want a lil Rapo like you running around the village at night."

Rosis slotted the gem into the pocket of his jumper.

"But you must leave now, Rosis..." Circi whispered. "I think Cricket will return early from his night shift, and if you are caught here—"

"I understand..." Rosis nodded and raced away.


	3. The Nighttime Visitor

CHAPTER THREE

:The Night Time Visitor:

Rosis sat outside of the village hall, pondering about what Circi had said. He looked up into the oily sunset, wishing that Cricket would not return from his night time duty early. Or worse, Unagi... If he returned to the police station, Rosis would be doomed for a lifetime of punishment. As the last drop of golden light bathed the fields in a sun bleached blanket, Rosis snuck away from the Eternal Flame, and began his walk to the station.

The jail loomed overhead, Circi smiled at him through the barred window of the station, gesturing for him to come inside. The Rapoboy crept through the slightly open door, and padded across the floorboards and up the winding staircase for the second time, meeting Circi at her metal cell at the back of the room.

"Hi, Circi..." Rosis smiled innocently.

"Hi..." Came the answer.

He came closer to the cell and looked up at her. "Is there anything that I could give you? You don't sound very well..."

Circi gave a weak laugh. "Hah... Maybe, there is something I would like..."

Rosis stared at her expectantly.

She smiled. "Cricket left this evening, but forgot to give me water with my lunch... If you could pass me the flask on the table over there, I will be very greatful..."

"Ok..." With a step to the left, he caught the old leather flask from Cricket's desk and spun back to hand it to Circi. "Here you go!"

"Thank you..." She opened the lid and took a sip, before laying it on the table gently. "Now... Is there anything I can do for you in return?"

"Is there anything you can tell me about my Mum and Dad...? I never knew them, Mari said they died when I was a little kitten, she took me in and looked after me. But no one will tell me what happened to them... All they said was that they were murdered by a Rapo who was very bad. A dark shadowy figure with white eyes..."

"I'm sorry..." Circi sighed. "But I don't know... Is there anything else?"

"Hmm..." Rosis routed through his memories. "I want to know more about Wilfre..."

Circi sighed. "I'm afraid there's nothing more to say about him, my boy..." She looked away. "Oh, how I long to see him again..."

"Wait, no..." Rosis shook his head. "There's something else I want... I want to bring Wilfre back to life for you..."

Her eyes widened. "Oh, how I'd love that! But... I am afraid you're too young. I don't want you getting hurt out there in that big wide world, I don't think I could ever forgive myself if anything ever happened to you..."

"Oh..."

"But, maybe..." Circi thought for a second. "You could help me when you're older, when I think you are ready..."

"But how will I know when you think I'm ready?" Rosis asked.

"Hmm..." She unclipped the large red gem from her ear and handed it to him through the prison bars. "When you are ready, the red gem will glow bright... When that does happen, return here. But do not return until it does. I don't want a lil Rapo like you running around the village at night."

Rosis slotted the gem into the pocket of his jumper.

"But you must leave now, Rosis..." Circi whispered. "I think Cricket will return early from his night shift, and if you are caught here—"

"I understand..." Rosis nodded and raced away.


	4. Returning to Circi

CHAPTER FOUR

:Returning to Circi:

Nine years had passed, he was now fourteen and Rosis had heard no more from Circi. It had took him this long to understand that maybe he was never going to be ready to bring Wilfre back to life. But just in case, he'd been practicing his drawing and sketching. Just in case...

He walked to the Eternal Flame in his usual slouched manner. All these years, he had kept his wool jumper, purely because it still fitted him. Rosis was unusually small for his age, but couldn't care in the slightest. He had his own way of getting around things, and still kept his friend, Jakob, by his side.

With a sigh, he took the red earring from his trouser pocket and examined it through the light of the Eternal Flame. Rosis rolled it around in his hands, studying its unique shape and pattern. But suddenly, it seemed as if he was blinded by the gem's red sparkle. He moved it down, away from his eyes, but it was still bright and sparkling. Rosis's eyes widened as he realised what was going on. This was it. He was ready.

As luck had it, the sun dropped down below the snow laced mountains, allowing Rosis to travel to the police station freely. He just hoped Cricket would still be doing his sundown perimeter check of the village.

As Rosis opened the door of the police station, the darkness filled the room blankly, and all was silent. Cricket was definitely out, so he creaked slowly up the wooden stair case. Surprisingly, not much had changed; there was only a new layer of blue paint across the walls and a different desk.

Rosis reached the second floor and looked around, this was, without doubt, different. The prison cells were new and their bars were shining, the bare floorboards had been carpeted all the way up to Circi's cell, but no further. He walked over the soft red carpet to the end of the room.

"Circi?"

There was a shuffle from inside of Circi's prison cell, then a creak from a wooden bed.

"...Hello...?" Asked a voice from inside. "...Who's there?" Circi crept across the floor space to the boy in the colourful jumper.

"It's me, Rosis..." He answered to the pale figure of his old friend.

Circi smiled. "Ah, Rosis, I didn't think you would actually care anymore."

"Of course I would. I'm your friend, aren't I, Circi...?"

She nodded weakly. "Ok, we can catch up later, Cricket will be back soon. But right now, you need to get me out of here."

Rosis tilted his head to one side. "How will I do that?"

"Cricket has the keys with him at all times..." Circi explained. "Fortunately, he has a spare set, in case he looses them. The spare set should be in the draw of his desk." She pointed to the desk in the centre of the room. "Go and look through the first draw, I think I remember seeing him put them in there..."

Rosis nodded finally and started to pull open the top draw of the wooden desk. It creaked out halfway, but wouldn't budge anymore than that. He peeked inside of it to see a ring of keys lying peacefully next to a half eaten doughnut. Rosis reached in and pulled out the keys with a jangle. They were rusty and two of the smallest keys had ceased together. He walked over to Circi's cell and unlocked the door carefully. With a loud clunk, the lock fell to the ground and the door creaked open, allowing Circi to step a little further to freedom, but the chain around her leg tied her to the wall.

"The last thing I need you to do," Circi said. "Is to find the key to the chain. I think it's the biggest one..."

Rosis bent down and examined the lock and the clasp, before taking the largest key and trying to unlock it. Nothing happened. He sighed and tried the second key, and this one worked. The clasp fell from her ankle, releasing her.

"Thank you..." Circi hugged Rosis gently before looking out of the window. "Oh dear..."

"What?"

"It's Unagi! He's back..." She grabbed his arm and dragged him down the stairs. "We don't have much time, but I think we can hide in the cupboard..."

Circi swung open the cupboard door and the took to the hiding space just as Unagi came strolling into the room. He chattered away on his mobile, pacing the room until he walked into the kitchen, closing the door behind him. Circi sighed and lead Rosis outside into the night.

"Ok, now what?" Rosis asked.

"There's an old Rapohouse just outside of town, it's empty so we can stay there for a while."

"How do you know that it's still empty?" Rosis questioned as they crept through the village.

"Because one of Wilfre's 'lil creations is there..."


	5. Shadow, Shadow Everywhere

CHAPTER FIVE

:Shadow, Shadow Everywhere!:

The Rapohouse was a little past the village gate, it was hidden by a large thicket of trees. It was quite rundown and shabby, but it could house Rosis and Circi for the time being.

"So..." Rosis ran his hand across the outside door, before walking inside, Circi following. "What were you saying about 'Wilfre's creation'?"

Circi let out a timid laugh, her hair flew about in front of her face wildly. "Oh, yes... Hm, well, Wilfre's creations are... How do I put this? Dark. Very dark and they have quite a temper..."

Rosis glared at her.

"I think maybe you'll understand me more if you see for yourself..." She led him through the hallway, across the old creaking floorboards, and to a door that entered to the study.

A sign that hung on the door in a tired fashion was scrawled:

WILFRE'S STUDY.

STAY OUT.

OR ELSE.

Rosis studied the handwriting carefully. It was floral and royal, with a posh tinge to it. Each letter was uniquely formed: curly and waved, weaving in and out of each other. Yet, the words looked tense and hurried, as if their writer was somewhat scared.

He walked through the door and looked around. Faux animal skins were draped across a dark green leather chair that sat behind a chestnut desk. Books, pages, pens and pencils were sprawled out across the desk messily, a few had landed on the floor in front of it.

"This place is a bit of a mess..." Rosis admitted.

"I know, I know..." Circi picked up a few books and slotted them into a bookshelf. "We'll clean some of it up later."

"Woah!" He scrambled back as his sight was greeted with a peculiar dull face that towered over him with beady white eyes. "Argh! What is that?!"

Circi laughed and shook her head, before walking to stand by the strange dark figure. "This, Rosis, is Wilfre's creation. He liked to call them Shadow Walkers..." She gestured to the pitch-black wraithlike figure beside her. It grinned, revealing a truly gruesome set of fangs.

The Shadow Walkers hide was constantly moving dripping with a thick black substance called Darkness. Its eyes we're ever so slightly cloudy with a pale yellow, and its teeth were all perfect and pearly white. "Are you here to restore master Wilfre?" It said and turned to Circi. "You failed us, Circi. You did not bring back our master," Rosis was again the centre of its attention. "I hope you will succeed..."

"Uh..." Rosis muttered feebly. "Uh... I, um... I suppose I can bring Wilfre back..."

The Shadow Walker bowed thankfully. "We are grateful for your help..."

"Who's this 'We' you keep talking about?"

The Shadow Walker stepped back to let two more of its kind, one short, one tall. "We are the last Shadow Creatures remaining." It explained. "Wilfre designed us Shadows in many forms: bats, dragons, walkers, ghosts... When he died, most of us were left defenceless, and were slowly but surely being uncreated. We may be the last Shadows, but even we cannot last forever. The Creator's mere presence is sucking our lives away from us. We soon will disappear along with the others..." There was a sad silence before another word was spoken from the Shadow Walker. "We will continue to deteriorate if something is not done. But if the Darkness page is placed back in the Book of Life, then I and my entire species will be saved. Will you help us, Rosis...?"

"Okay..." Rosis answered after a while thinking. "So, then... Where is the Darkness page?"

The Shadow Walker dove into his darkened surface and pulled out a yellowing page that it handed to Rosis. "This page will save the Shadow Creatures and Darkness will spread over our land once more."

"Wait a minute!" He snapped. "Darkness will spread over our land?! I was always told that was a bad thing, I thought the Darkness would destroy our village? It consumed it once before, so what's stopping it from doing it again?!"

"Ah... But you must understand. If all the Darkness is gone, our world will be destroyed. Even if your village is covered by the clouds of Darkness once more, you must do this. You must be prepared to sacrifice your friends for the sake of our world. What Wilfre was doing was right. You must continue where he left off and bring him back, Rosis. Or we will all be destroyed."

Rosis sighed. "What choice do I have...?"

"You have many."

"I know... It's just, if I don't do this, we'll all die." He said. "So, I guess I have to. Even if my village suffers for it..."

Circi grinned. "Alright, let's get down to business..."

The two Raposa and three Shadow Walkers gathered around, Circi getting ready to explain her genius plan.

"Okay, here's the plan..." She began with a mischievous smile. "Rosis, you will go to the Raposa Village and persuade Mari to let you see the Book of Life. That is your chance to swipe it. You will come back here and we'll place the Darkness page back inside of it. Then BLAM! We can save the Shadows, bring back the Darkness and bring Wilfre back to life!"

"When do we begin?" Rosis asked.

"As soon as possible. Right now would be preferred, the sooner the better. Who knows how much time we have..."

"Alright." Rosis began to walk to the front door. "I'm going to the Raposa Village, I'll find the Book of Life and bring it here. I promise I will save you guys, no matter what." He gestured to the Shadow Walkers before setting off to the village.

It was a short walk, the scenery was pleasant, petals carpeted the pathways in a flurry of pink and white. Flowers decorated the ground happily around the village gate. Rosis took a deep breath before entering the village again and walking up to the village hall. Mari was stood watching her surroundings.

"Uh, hey Mari..." He called.

"Oh, hi Rosis. Watcha up to?" She asked him, shielding the sun from her eyes.

"Nothing much. Just hanging around..." Rosis glanced away for a second. It suddenly felt bad to betray his friend. "Hey, I was just wondering about something..."

"Go on..."

"Well..." He continued. "Would you, by any chance, let me see the Book of Life? Ya know, I've never really seen it up close for any length of time."

Mari hesitated. "...What do you want to see it for?"

"...A project I'm working on..." For a second he didn't think his lie was going to work. "I need to study it up close..."

"Hmm..." She thought before smiling. "Alright, you can go an see it. But just this once, I can't risk anything happening to it. Not after Wilfre..." She paused. "...And Circi..."

A flicker of hatred crossed Rosis's mind, but he pushed it away and smiled back at her. "Thanks, where is it?"

"In Creation Hall, it should be on the stand at the back of the room."

"Ok, bye..." He turned and fled to Creation Hall quickly, he had to take the Book of Life as fast as he could, in case he was caught.

The building loomed up ahead, newly painted doors had replaced the old ones to make it look a little nicer and less rundown. Rosis slipped inside carefully, closing the doors tight behind him. He looked around the book filled room, cobwebs hung from the shelves, decorating them with dust. There was a stand at the back of the room, with a book placed on it.

Rosis jogged over to it with a giggle, and looked down on the book. "The Book of Life... Wow..." With a quick glance left and right, he slotted the book into the middle pocket of his blue backpack and walked casually out of the entrance.

He strolled along the paths as normally as he could, he couldn't risk any of the villagers getting suspicious of him.

"Hey, Rosis!" Mari called from the village hall. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

He nodded back, his hands gripping the straps of his backpack nervously. "Uh, yeah..."

"Good. You were a little quick, are you sure you found everything you wanted to know?"

"Yeah, positive...!" He called before jogging out through the village gates. "Phew... That was close..."

With a faint grin on his face, Rosis creaked open the door to the Rapohouse and wandered into Wilfre's study to find Circi, two Shadow Walkers and a puddle.

"What's that?" He pointed to the dark wet patch on the floor.

"That," Circi began. "Is one of the Shadow Walkers. It appears the deterioration is speeding up... I trust you have the Book of Life?"

"Yep."

"Good." She shrugged. "Well, I think we should hurry and recreate the Shadow and Darkness before the other Shadow Walkers disappear!"

Rosis opened up his backpack and placed the book on Wilfre's desk, Circi laying out the Darkness page.

"Here..." She handed him a pen. "This was Wilfre's, he used it to draw all of his creations... I found it in one of his cupboards... Use it well..."

"Okay..." Rosis took the pen and placed it to the page. "But what do I draw?"

"Anything..." Circi answered. "It always comes out the same... Darkness is all we Raposa can create."

"Hm..." He squiggled a few shapes onto the page and stood back to admire his work.

There was a rumble as a blob of Shadow appeared on the wall, and then the floor. It wriggled and squirmed around before solidifying to create a Shadow Walker. The creation spread more Shadow around the room, until almost everything is covered.

"Rosis, look!" Circi yelled happily as she pointed out of the window. In the sky was dark clouds swirling menacingly. "Look, the Darkness has returned!"

"Oh..." Rosis's ears flattened out across the back of his head.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing..." He coughed and turned away from the window.

The puddle of Darkness on the ground moulded into a Shadow Walker again. "Thank you..." It wheezed. "We are in much debt..."

"Oh, it was nothing..." Rosis stood with a smug smile on his face. "I'm always happy to help."

Circi smiled. "Listen, you've had quite an exhausting day, why don't you go home and relax?"

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." He turned and walked outside.

As Rosis walked, he gathered up speed. The path was now course and jagged with cracks, the flowers had turned to weeds as the Shadow curled into them and the trees had grown suddenly stiff. He shivered, little did he know what the Darkness was going to do to his world.


	6. Village Meeting

CHAPTER SIX

:Village Meeting:

Rosis woke in his house about an hour later with a bang upon the door.

"Rosis!" Shouted a voice from outside. "Come quickly!"

"Ugh..." He sat up on his bed before travelling slowly to the front door. He opened it to find Jowee. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Something terrible has happened!" Jowee blurted out. "The Darkness... It's returned!" He pointed to the swirling clouds in the distance. They seemed to be raining Shadow. "Mari has called a village meeting about it. We need you to come!"

"Why?"

"Mari wants all the villagers in one place, that way we'll all be safe..." He explained. "So, please hurry to the village hall!" Jowee trundled off quickly.

"Oh..." Rosis whispered to himself. "Oh, well..."

With a minor decision, he set off through the village, passing a few hurried familys who were travelling in the same direction he was. Soon enough, he found a circle of villagers.

"What are we gonna do?!" Farmer Brown bellowed.

"Argh! Ze cannot loose ze kitchen again!" Chef Cookie trembled in a frantic mess.

"Yargh! This be terrible!" Pirate Beard appeared with his scurvy crew, a knife hung from his belt lazily.

Rosis joined the circle to listen to the ranting and raving.

"Calm down everyone, please!" Mari pleaded as she appeared from the inside of the village hall. "All this panicking isn't doing us any good!"

"Mari's right." Jowee agreed. "We have to stay calm and sort something out."

Dr Cure quieted everyone down and spoke softly. "But if the Darkness is back—"

"—Yargh! Tha can only mean one thing!" Pirate Beard butted in."Wilfre must have returned!"

The crowd of Raposa began shouting again. Mari sighed. "Come on, everyone! Be quiet!" There was hush again. "If Wilfre is back, then we have to figure out what to do. But you remember what happened last time, don't you? He never returned. It was Circi all along!"

"Yeah!" Bubba yelled in agreement.

Cricket came running down the path. "Mayor Mari! It's Circi, she's escaped from the station!"

"See?!" Mari added. "There's nothing to panic about. It could just be Circi. She is no where near as dangerous as Wilfre!"

"But she is out there." Isaac said. "Which means she can do exactly what she did last time! And that is destroying the village!"

"Ok, maybe you have a point..." Mari said calmly. "But the Shadow Ink factories have been knocked down... There's no way she could have—" She stopped in realisation. "—Unless... The Book of Life! She could have taken the Book of Life! We have to find out if it's still in Creation Hall!" Mari pushed through the mass of screaming villagers and ran to the low building at the centre of the village.

Rosis followed the villagers after her and waited outside. After a quick bump from inside, Mari emerged again.

"It's gone..." She whispered.

"What do you mean?!" A few villagers yelled.

"The Book of Life... Circi's taken it..."

There was an uproar from the crowd, but especially from Farmer Brown. "And what y'all gonna be doin' about it?!" He snapped. "Well, I say we track down Circi and make her pay fer what she's done!"

"Yeah!" A villager shouted. "Circi must pay!"

"Everyone please!" Mari yelled over the shouting. "Can we at least come to terms with the insanity of this plan!"

"I'm afraid we already have, mayor Mari..." Farmer Brown hit his pitchfork against the stone path. "We fully understand the consequences of ma idea, but we can't let Circi get away wit this! We cannot live in terror again!"

"Alright, she couldn't have gone far..." Cricket said as the villagers turned to him. "Circi should be just outside the village gates."

"Are you seriously complying with this?" Mari whispered to him.

"What choice do we have?" He answered and moved his focus back to the crowd. "Ok, we should set outtonightand catch Circi when she least expects it."

Rosis gasped and raced down the village. He fled through the gates and along the cracked path, past the twisted trees and the shrivelled flowers, until he came to the Rapohouse.

"Circi!" He yelled as he burst through the front door and into the study. "Circi!"

"Huh...?" Squeaked Circi from Wilfre's chair. She was reading a tatty book. "Oh, Rosis... I was just reading Wilfre's journal. There's some interesting stuff in here."

"Circi, the villagers!" Rosis screamed. "They're coming for you! They know you escaped from the station, and they know the Book of Life is gone! They think you stole it, so they're coming for you!"

Circi sighed. "Don't worry..." She said calmly. "They won't get here too quickly, not with all the Shadow and Darkness..."

That came as a relief to Rosis, who slumped onto a chair in the corner of the room. "Phew..." He looked around. "Well, what can I do to slow them down just a bit more?"

"Trick them." Circi answered blandly. "-It always works for me."

Rosis got up from the chair and made his way out of the building and back to the village. It felt as if he was going back and forth all day.

"Hey!" He called as Cricket and Farmer Brown span around. "I, uh, saw Circi just east out of the village!" Of course, the Rapohouse where she was actually at, was west. "Come on, she'll get away if we don't go now!"

"Well." Farmer Brown shrugged then turned to the group of talkative villagers. "Y'all heard the Rapo! Let's get movin'!" He and Cricket ushered the Raposa away with Rosis. "Alright, lil Rapo, tell us where you be seein' this here traitor?"

"Follow me..." Rosis took lead and they followed him to a fork in the road. One way lead to the Rapohouse, another lead to the city, and the last lead into a forest called Jangala, a deep and unforgiving place filled with a Raposa's worst nightmare, Baki...

"Which way?" Cricket asked.

"Uh..." He stammered and pointed left. "This way! I saw Circi just on the boundarys of the Forest..."

Rosis began to walk along the Jangala forest trail, but stopped dead when he realised the others refused to follow. "What's wrong?"

"Ain't no way y'all be gettin' me in that there Jangala..."

Cricket coughed. "That place was dangerous without the Darkness hanging around... But imagine what it'll be like now..." He pointed to the bushy black clouds in the sky overhead.

"I heard there's monsters in there..." A Rapoboy said quietly. "Things like the Jungle Baki..."

"There is no way mayor Mari would allow me to put our villagers in danger like that..." Cricket continued. "So me, Farmer Brown and Crazy Barks will go on our own."

"Bark!" Crazy Barks leapt out of the huddle of Raposa. "Barksishappytohelp!"

"Unagi?" He continued as a Raposa with sunglasses and a suit stepped forward. "Can I trust you to lead the others back to the village?"

"You and I have never worked close in our crime-fighting career..." Unagi lowered his glasses. "But yes, you have my word. I'll return these Raposa back to where they belong."

"Thank you, Unagi..." Cricket turned to Rosis with a gentle smile on his face. "Rosis, you don't have to come with us if you don't want to... We'll catch up with Circi eventually."

"Thanks..." Rosis sighed happily. "Uh, I'm gonna take a look down another route... Just in case she doubled back..." He began to run back and away from the group.

Cricket nodded and called to him. "Hey, Rosis!" The boy spun around. "Be careful.You don't know what Circi is capable of..."

"Don't worry... I will..."


	7. Bringing Wilfre Back

Hiya guys, hope you're enjoying my fanfiction. Sorry for the lengths of some of the chapters, some can be really short and others could be really long / but anyway, I'd just like to say that ive already written most of this story, that's why I've uploaded so many chapters recently.

Please feel free to leave a comment, they would be much appreciated at this point because this is my first story.

Anyway, keep reading! :)

CHAPTER SEVEN

:Bringing Wilfre back:

Circi dozed gently on Wilfre's chair, with an occasional snort and a mutter. All was quiet, until the door burst open and Rosis emerged. "Huh?!" She snapped up in the chair, a book falling onto the floor. "What...? What's going on...?"

Rosis laughed slightly. "Hey, it's okay... It's just me..."

"Oh..." Circi sighed in a relieved way. "Phew, I thought it might have been the villagers. So then, tell me what you did with them, anyway..."

"I sent them into Jangala." He answered. "It should take them a while to get out..."

"Hah, good plan! They'll be lucky if that place doesn't kill 'em."

"Yeah..." Rosis glanced away. "...I'm kinda worried about them... Jangala is dangerous, what if they run into trouble...?"

Circi huffed. "Stop thinking about them. They'll only hold you back from what you're capable of... And trust me, you're capable of a lot more than dwelling on your past friends. You have a calling, Rosis, and that calling is Darkness. You have Darkness written all over you." She sighed dreamily. "...Wilfre would be so proud."

Rosis cringed, then pushed it way and thought about something else. "Hey... When are we going to bring him back?"

"Heh, I'm glad you asked that..." Circi rose from the chair and took a pen from a Shadow Walker that entered the room. She handed it carefully to him. "This is a perfect replica of the Creator's pen... I call it, the Darkness Pen. The ink is made of Shadow, the most impure form of the ink the Creator used to draw our world. Impure - yes... But it's all we can use..."

"So..." Rosis murmured. "What exactly makes this different to Wilfre's pen? Or a normal pen, for that matter?"

"Normal pens can only create Shadow... And Wilfre's pen can create Shadow and Shadow Creatures - but not a perfect object. Yet this pen..." Circi marvelled at the hunk of metal in his hand. "...This pen has a single drop of pure colour swirled into the Shadow mixture, so whatever you draw will come to life exactly how you made it..."

"Wow..." Rosis whispered. "So this pen is the real deal... I can actually draw Wilfre back to life with this?"

She nodded quickly and took the Book of Life from the desk. "Please draw him back to life, Rosis... You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Okay..." He took the book, turned to an empty page and put the pen to paper with a shaky hand. "I can do this..."

"Ooh, I can't wait...!" Circi hopped up and down on the spot excitedly.

"Wait a minute."

She stopped disappointedly. "...What's wrong?"

He stared at her for a second. "How do you know Wilfre'll even like you...?"

There was a silence before she replied defensively. "Of course he'll like me, silly..." Circi tutted.

"How do you know? You've never met him." Rosis continued. "You don't even know what he looks like... What if doesn't want anything to do with your love...?"

Circi scowled. "Ugh...! Stop asking questions, Rosis! HeWILL be my 'ittle wittle baby..." She said a few words with adoration.

Rosis tasted is lunch in his mouth before Circi continued. "Besides, I'm bringing him back to life. What's not to love?"

He frowned. "Hey, I'M drawing Wilfre back to life..."

Circi paused in realisation. "...Well, um... yes... Uh..."

"I'M drawing him because you don't know what he looks like." He raised an eyebrow. "And you said just then that YOU are bringing him back to life... You're trying to take my credit..."

She sighed. "Of course I'm not, you silly, silly boy..."

"Well, yes you are because-" Rosis stopped. "-Hang on... You're using me, aren't you...?"

"What ever can you mean?" Circi laughed.

"You know exactly what I mean." He said finally. "I don't trust you anymore, and Cricket was right: you are all tricks and schemes... I should have took his advice and steered clear of you."

She hid a scowl, but it still tore through the atmosphere like a red hot knife. "Rosis..." Circi warned. "You're wrong. Cricket is wrong. You're capable of more than this, you're powerful... If you can control the Shadow, the Raposa Village is playing in your paws..."

Rosis flattened his ears across the back of his head and growled. "Don't trick me, Circi... We're done. I'm done with this."

"Huh?" Her eyes widened in surprise. "What are you doing?" She said as he pointed to the door.

"You need to leave." He ordered. "You're not part of this anymore, I'll let the villagers find you, and I'll continue by myself..."

"...Are you not going to bring Wilfre back...?"

"No." Rosis said.

Circi spat furiously. "What?!"

"If I draw Wilfre back to life, he'll take over. And where will that leave me? I may be continuing his plan, but I'm not letting him at it so that he can stop me from putting my own spin on it..." He sighed. "...Now leave, Circi! Before I set the Shadow Walkers on you..."

A look of scorn came across her face. "...You won't get away with this... When Wilfre does come back, he's gonna tear you apart..."

As Circi left the Rapohouse, Rosis took his place on Wilfre's chair behind the desk. "Finally... I can start taking point on this plan..."


	8. The Shadow Hounds

CHAPTER EIGHT

:The Shadow Hounds:

There was a tickle of breathing on Rosis's face as he woke up the next morning. "Huh...?" He opened one eye and leapt in surprise as a Shadow Walker was watching him with two cloudy spherical objects. "Argh...?! What are you doing - what do you want!?"

The Shadow Walker tilted his head to one side. "I was merely seeing if you were awake, master..."

"Uh... 'Master'?" Rosis frayed the fur on his ears in a confused way. "Who?"

It heisted. "Ah - you are my master... Of course..."

"Oh, right..." Rosis got up from the green armchair and leaned against the wall. "I still gotta get used to me being your 'Master' and stuff..." He shook his head. "Anyway, I'm a little bored today... Seeing as I am master and you are servant, name something that I could do."

"Well, for instance, you could play around in the Book of Life - seeing as you have it in your possession..." The Shadow Walker replied.

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Hm..." It frowned in thought. "You could change objects in our world, like the sun and moon, and perhaps even draw some new Shadow Creatures for help. Wilfre would be all over the book if he had as much time with it as you have..."

Rosis sighed. "You gotta remember that I'm not Wilfre." He shook his head again. "But, you do have a point... Since I've had the Book of Life, I haven't really done much with it. It was always Circi that told me what to draw, Wilfre this and Wilfre that... She never let me design my own creations or anything..."

"Precisely..."

"So..." He headed to the desk and headed back again, picking up the Book of Life on the way and opening it to a page with the sun drawn onto it. "I shall do what you said and redraw some objects in the Book of Life."

The Shadow Walker clapped with happiness. "Excellent, master Rosis!"

Rosis put the Darkness Pen to the sun page in the book and began to draw... "Hmm..." He scribbled away. "...A little shade of Darkness here... Ugh, the sun's too bright these days, better make it a darker colour..." With a click of a button on top of the pen, the ink turned deep red. "Heh... That'll do..."

Rosis flipped to the next page and began doodling on the moon and stars. By the time he had finished, the vital features of his world looked nothing like they should: Shadow hung like bunting and the colours were scrambled and dark.

"Truly... Monumental, master Rosis." The Shadow Walker sneered darkly.

"Thank you..." Rosis laughed and took a feeble bow. The pages in the Book of Life were turned to a blank one. "Now... Time for my creation..."

There was an uproar as several more Shadow Creatures gathered around him."

"This is gonna be great...!" Rosis whispered excitedly to himself. "...What shall I draw? Got it!" He clicked his fingers.

With the gift of imagination running riot, circles and squares were drawn, and slowly but surely, began to take the form of a wolflike Shadow Creature. This kind of Shadow had never been drawn before, Rosis was taking a giant leap into the unknown for his wild ambitions...

As he drew, the Shadow Creatures oohed at the swirling ball of Darkness that appeared in the centre of the floor space. There was a sudden shock of silence as the Darkness expanded, engulfing them and Rosis: the room being turned into a dark purple and each figure that could be seen was just a brief grey silhouette against the smudged walls. Rosis stopped to look back at the Shadow Walkers, who shouted something out but their words were as if they were underwater, drowned out by the thick Darkness that surrounded them like soup. He hesitated, but turned back to his work, confused by the fact that he could still breathe, it was like he was being suffocated in a blanket of water. With a rushed, partially frightened, frenzy of scribbles onto the page infront of him, Rosis finally had finished his creation. He glanced away, his vision impaired and blurry by the Darkness.

There was a bright flash as the room emptied, Rosis and the Shadows were sucked out of the Darkness, their eyes aching as they adjusted back to normal. The ball of Darkness shrank and took to the centre of the floor, Rosis lifted himself from the ground, his body dripping with Shadow. He gasped. Where the ball had been, was a great dog with a rippling black hide made from Shadow and sharp elongated teeth that fitted into its skull like knives.

Rosis took himself forward to put his hand on its back. "...Wow..." He took his hand away when there was a glimmer as a chain coiled around its neck and into his hand. "Huh, I guess I own you... I've always wanted a pet dog, I guess I should name you..."

There was a rumble as the dog whined, morphing into two. Another Shadowy dog with blue eyes stood next to it. They looked at each other with vicious glances, chained together by a leash around their necks.

"There's two of you... Well then, you two are Shadow Hounds, so I've decided..." Rosis looked at the first Hound, the one with red eyes. "...Your name is Rex." He looked at the other, the one with the blue eyes. "...And your name is Dover."

The Shadow Hounds howled triumphantly before settling into a sitting position.

"Marvellous, master Rosis!" The Shadow Walker clapped its hands together. "I could not have done better myself..."

Rosis smiled. "...Thank you..." He bowed and looked at the Hounds. "Now, maybe we should figure out what to do with you guys..."

Dover scratched his ear, spraying Shadow across the walls and Rosis.

"Ugh...!?" Rosis shook himself. "...Dover!"

If you enjoyed the Shadow Hounds in this chapter, don't worry I wont forget about them :) I'll be adding them in as major characters later in the story.


	9. The Shadow Boy

CHAPTER NINE

:The Shadow Boy:

As the moon rolled across the sky, Rosis watched his Shadow Hounds fall asleep in a pile in the middle of the floor. He climbed into bed and sighed, closing his tired eyes. Without a second going by, he tumbled into a restless sleep. Rosis wandered through his nightmare, his mind swirling with thoughts and patterns, lacing together shoes that walked the mile through his thoughts.

His vision was distorted with dark shapes crawling through the chambers of his mind, clawing at his memories and stabbing at the past days he spent with his parents as a kitten. Then he suddenly wondered what had happened to them. Where did they go? It was a question he had been pondering for his entire life, but it seems like he had forgot about it in the years that passed. Rosis had the urge to find them, find out what took them or where they had gone.

There was a deep void crossing his dream between wakefulness and sleep. A Shadow crossed his mind along with a name. Was it Wilfre? He thought maybe his dream was trying to tell him something, but decided against it just before he woke up in his bed.

Rosis lay staring at the ceiling for nearly half an hour, until he made the desision to get up. He plodded across the floorboards over to the kitchen and poured himself a drink.

"Master Rosis...?" Said a voice from behind him.

He spat out the water in surprise. "Huh, what...?!"

It was the Shadow Walker. "...Master Rosis..."

"Yes?"

It stuttered, unsure what to say. "...You...You look... Different."

Rosis narrowed his eyes. "In what way?"

"Well..." The Shadow Walker scratched the side of his gooey black head. "You are not the same, Master... You have changed."

Concerned, he waddled sleepily over to the mirror in Wilfre's study. It was a large goldplated object that covered the wall entirely. Rosis stared with wide eyes at his own reflection and gasped. His body was made of...

...Shadow...

He grasped the Shadow in a frenzy of fear as it writhed across his face. No matter how many times he pulled it away, it returned.

"How did this happen?!" He snapped. "Get it off me!"

"Master, it will not go..." The Shadow Walker replied. "I am made of Shadow, so I cannot get it away from me."

"What are you trying to say?!" Rosis said. "...That it is part of me!?"

"Not exactly... If Wilfre could remove the Shadow from him at free will, so can you."

Rosis calmed himself down before he hit the last chard of sanity. "Okay... So how do I get it off me?"

"It's really very simple..." The Walker took a book from the shelf and flicked through the pages. "...This is Wilfre's Book of Shadow Spells."

"Does it tell us how to reverse a spell?"

"Yes." It showed him the page and pointed to 'spell 5 - section 3'. "This spell reverses the Shadow away from you."

Rosis tiled his head. "...So it'll get rid of the Shadow for good?"

"Not exactly... It may rid it for a time, but the Shadow will always be part of you. Unless the Darkness page in the Book of Life was destroyed by the Flame..."

"The 'Flame'?"

The Shadow Walker sighed. "I mean as in the Eternal Flame, it's the only official way you can destroy a creation page for good."

He clapped his paws together, spraying Shadow up the walls. "Alright! Let's get on with this..." A shudder ran through him. Then he laughed suddenly, his voice sounding somewhat crazed.

The Shadow Walker stared at him.

Rosis looked down at himself. The Darkness was diving deeper into his soul, and he knew it. If something wasn't done soon, he would loose control and let the Shadow lead the way into insanity. He thought maybe that's what happened to Wilfre: being consumed by the Darkness, unable to see the counter argument of his doings. Rosis shrugged.

"Okay, first I need to gather some things." The Walker began to walk out of the room. "This is a spell after all, we're going to need some ingredients for this to work properly." It returned with a jar of purple liquid and a leaf. Putting them on to Wilfre's desk, it took a box from the bookshelf and opened it. There was a dried flower inside. "This is a warflower, it has the power to restore life to any soul that was alive originally. When Wilfre killed the Mayor of Raposa Village, the villagers could have used this to save him, but they were too slow. Whatsmore, they had no idea it existed."

"Wait a minute." Rosis shook his head. "What does this have to do with anything? I'm not dead..."

It hesitated. "Well, actually you are..." He added something else, seeing that he wasn't fully believing the statement. "...If you don't believe me, put your hand on your chest and see if you can feel a heartbeat."

Rosis did exactly this. His hand sunk into his Shadowy surface and stopped when he hit his skin. He felt for a heartbeat, but his chest was silent. No beat. No life. "I... I... Don't understand..."

"See..." The Walker nodded his head slightly. "...You are dead."

"Then how am I still breathing...?" Rosis was baffled, his fear welling up inside him.

"It's the Shadow. It kills you as soon as you touch it, but you will remain resembling someone who is alive because the Shadow is your controller. IT is alive, not you, it works you as a host, in return giving you a chance at still feeling alive. But eventually, it will take over, and you will no longer exist..." It sighed. "This is why we need you to do this now, you are failing to the Shadow. That cannot happen, you are the only hope we have left..."

"So if we mix this flower into this... 'Potion'..." He began. "I'll still be alive?"

"...And you'll be able to switch from Shadow Raposa to normal Raposa whenever you want. You will not be controlled by the Shadow. Ever."

Rosis smiled. "Right. Let's get on with this..."

The Shadow Walker picked up the jar and poured its purple contents into a stone dish on Wilfre's desk. It took the leaf and gave it to Rosis. "Tear this apart and place it into the purple liquid."

"Okay..." He began to tear up the leaf and put each section into the liquid. The leaf shrivelled and sank. "...What is that stuff?"

"That?" It pointed at the liquid. "I do not know. It was Wilfre's secret remedy, he never told me what it was... But I knew he used to use it in some spicy meals."

"Spicy meals? What kind?"

The Walker thought as it bashed the warflower to a pulp. "I know it was a mix of this purple liquid, banya, peppers and fish. I think there was a pinch of salt and a strange plant he called a 'Chilli'..."

Rosis scratched his ear. "Uh... 'Chilli'?"

"Yes, Wilfre often drew strange objects and brought them to life. I don't know where he got them from... But there was one creation he named a Human, Wilfre said that it was the Creator's species. I'm still not sure whether to believe him..."

Rosis pealed the warflower from the table. It crumpled into a powder, so he shrugged and sprinkled it into the mixture. "What did this 'Human' look like?"

"It was a tall pink being, with five strange elongated fingers and ears that were small and sat on the side of their heads. Wilfre did bring it into existence, but I've never seen one."

"I wish I could see something like that..." Rosis sighed and mixed the potion.

There was a wisp of steam curling from it.

"Looks like it's done!" The Shadow Walker said as it poured the mixture into a cup. "Drink this. You will return to a normal Raposa once you have..."

He took the cup and threw the liquid into him quickly. It tasted vile, like stagnant swamp's smell when the sun had been shining on a hot summers day. "Ugh..." Rosis coughed and slammed the cup onto the desk.

"How does it taste?"

"Awful..."

The Walker hid a smile. "It's a good job we will not be repeating the process again any time soon."

Rosis entered a fit of choking. The world was within madness as colours sped through his vision. The light was too bright and every slight noise was a booming roar. He fell to the ground and pounded upon the floorboards in terror. He managed to whisper the single word "Help..." to the Shadow Walker, but there was nothing it could do.


	10. She Who Strikes, Strikes Again

CHAPTER TEN

:She Who Strikes, Strikes Again:

Rosis woke in his bed an hour later, three Shadow Walkers by his side, along with his Hounds, who scratched at the walls impatiently.

"Ugh... What...?" He sat up and checked himself over. "The Shadow... It's gone."

"Yes, Master Rosis." The Walker that helped him make the spell nodded. There was a tall Walker and a short Walker next to him. "You are immune to the Shadow now. It cannot kill you anymore. But it could still take over, so be careful."

"Oh, yes!" The short Walker said. "Don't get too angry, or you may turn into a Shadow Raposa unexpectedly."

"Master Rosis..." The tall Walker looked down on him. "I have heard some news from the Raposa Village..."

"Go on..." He raised himself from the bed to pet Dover the Shadow Hound.

"...And it seems to be that the villagers have captured Circi."

Circi. She could end up being Rosis's worst enemy. If she told the village what he was up to, he and the Shadows would be doomed. But why would Mari or Jowee believe her? Circi was never faithful: neither to them nor Rosis. But if she managed to convince them... His plan would fail. Rosis had to do something... Fast.

He emerged from his bedroom in a hurry, three or four Shadow Bats screeching down the landing. Rosis leapt down the stairs andran through the kitchen, Wilfre's study and into the hallway. Beside him were two doors, one to the bathroom and the other to the storage cupboard. He raced out of the front door and looked up into the sky: it was grey and swirling with black clouds of Darkness. The trees were coated with Shadow and the ground was now dry and cracked.

Rosis ran on through the main path until. He remembered something: he hadn't been back to the village since he had helped to look for Circi... What if the villagers were looking for him? He sighed and decided to take a shortcut through the clouds of Darkness that hung low below the canopy of the tallest trees. He was glad the Darkness didn't effect him, and he knew no one would find him in there. While Rosis walked blindly down the misty paths, he saw a sight that was vaguely familiar...

There was a patch of grass up ahead, but it was a not dull green with Shadow covering it, it was pure white.

"What the...?" Rosis whispered to himself.

He ran his hand over the top of the bright grass, and the closer he got the more it became clear what had happened.

Before Rosis was old enough to understand, he was told that a dark Raposa spread something through the land. He now knew that it was Wilfre. But he was also told that the village went on an adventure through the open seas, on a quest to restore the colour to the world. Restoring the colour that Wilfre had taken...

Rosis suddenly realised something. This white grass had no colour because the Darkness was taking it away... Was he going to become the new Wilfre?

The Raposa jogged away from the colourless grass and closer to the main path. When he was very young, he was warned to never enter the colourless areas, as they were a danger to him and everybody else. But it wasn't everybody... He, Wilfre and Circi could enter the uncoloured zones and not be hurt. The villagers certainly could not... If the colour continued to strip away from his world, the Raposa Village could be in great danger.

This struck a thought through him. And it wasn't a good one. Was he really doing a good thing?

Further on, it was white on black: colourless trees and paths all around him. Rosis began to panic as a chunk of the uncoloured area spread along the ground slowly. If that reached the village...

He left the cover of the Darkness and got to the Raposa Village on the path. The sun was hiding behind a cloud as he walked through the main gates, which squeaked with rust. The village seemed to have gained a few years while he was gone.

"Mari...?" Rosis called out, his voice echoing through the streets. "Jowee...? Anyone...?"

But there came no answer. The Raposa Village was empty.

There was a shuffle. He spun to face its direction and discovered a small Rapoboy, Farmer Brown's son, standing at his feet.

"Hi, there..." Rosis said gently.

"Hello." He whispered. "I can't find Ma or Pa..."

"Listen, I'll help you find them." He replied. "As long as you tell me what happened here."

"Y'all help me?! Thanks," The Rapoboy tugged at the sleeve of his jumper. "Mari lead everyone out of the village when there was a Shadow attack."

"A Shadow attack...?" Rosis couldn't remember sending out a posse into the Raposa Village. "Who was behind it?"

"Well, we found that Circi hovering around. And we always thought it was her doing all this here Shadow business. And as soon as ma Pa brought her back here, the Shadows came here!"

"Oh..." He sighed. "Do you know where Mari took the villagers?"

He pointed out through the village gate. "Through that there gate. She took them up into the mountains, near the Snowfeilds. Apparently there be a village up there!"

"Come on, we'd best find the others there."

"But..." The Raposa looked up at him. "Y'all said you'd help find ma Pa..."

"Don't worry," Rosis lead him away. "I'm sure he's with the rest of the village."

The Raposa agreed and set off down the path. There Darkness was spreading, so was the uncoloured zones. The Rapoboy hi behind him.

"Oh no..." He whispered. "The uncoloured bits have come back. I remember when Wilfre did all this back when..."

There was a crack of a twig behind them.

"Ooh, Rosis!" Yelled a Raposa with glasses.

"Isaac!" Rosis ran over to him. "Are you alright?! What happened?"

Isaac's breath curled in the cold air. "Mari..." He huffed. "Took the villagers... Into... The mountains. There was an... Attack from the Shadows... Half of the group was separated..." He caught his breath and called behind him. "Come on, it's okay. It's only Rosis..."

Several Raposa appeared from the trees.

"Luckily, I found the others." Isaac continued.

Rosis scanned the bunch of Raposa carefully. Galileo, Count Choco, Cindi and a few other villagers were there.

"Hm," He said. "Any sign of Farmer Brown?"

"No, sorry." Isaac shook his head sadly. "He was with the other group. They're heading to the Snowy Village near Frostwind's cave."

"So I heard..."

"I'm taking it upon myself to lead these villagers there too."

Rosis narrowed his eyes. "How do you know its safe? If the Shadows got to the Raposa Village, what's stopping them from getting to the Snowy Village?"

He dived into his pocket and pulled out a long piece of paper. "It was tied to a bird."

"What is it?"

"A message. It's to say that their village is there if we need it, and that they saw Darkness headed our way. It wasn't ten minutes later that the Shadow attacked. We had no choice but to go there..."

Galileo looked around. "Well, I'd hate to be a rusher, but there is something quite large at stake here. Perhaps we should hurry it along...?"

"He's right." Isaac nodded. "Come on, you saw what the Darkness did to the village. We don't want that to happen to us."

Rosis stared down the path. "The Darkness did that to the village...?"

"Oh, yes..." He began to walk. "A few minutes after the Darkness had struck, the village began to fall apart. As if it was one-hundred-years-old... it's strange. The Darkness didn't do that last time, not when Wilfre struck. That's why I think it's not him doing all this..."

"Then who could it be...?"

"Anyone, Rosis, it could be anyone. Circi is Farmer Brown's idea but I'd go against it if I were you. She's been locked up for a while now and she's been monitored by Cricket. For the Shadow to progress do quickly, there'd have to have been someone controlling it... HAD to be, there's no other explanation." Isaac shrugged. "But about this Shadow again, I think it's a hybrid."

"Why?"

"Well, take a look at it." He pointed to the heaps of black goop. "Its not the same as the last, I'll give you that... Look, it seems to have a mind of its own, even the smaller stuff."

Rosis muttered under his breath. "Maybe it's because I created it this time, not Wilfre..."

"Hm?"

"Oh, nothing..." He smiled vaguely. "So what of Circi? Did she get separated from the group?"

"Circi?" Isaac shook his head, stumbling over a tree root. "Oh, no. She's still with the other group. We'll be having a meeting to discuss what to do with her at Snowy Village."

There rest of the journey was silent. The Raposa walked along the dirt path in twos, Isaac leading with his daughter by his side, then it was Rosis and Farmer Brown's son. The dirt turned to snow as they began to trudge up a steep hill. The rocks were getting pointier and sharper as they made their way onto the mountain path, and the trees were no longer thick and bushy with leaves, instead they were bare and thick with snow.

Rosis shivered and looked up to the sky. The clouds were thick and white, tiny prisms of ice falling from them.

"Gah..." He rubbed his shoulders. "How much further, Isaac?"

"Shouldn't be long now..." Isaac replied, wiping the lenses of his glasses. "The Snowy Village should be just over this hill."

The Raposa followed the path until the hill reached its summit and gasped at the view ahead of them.

"Told you so." He crossed his arms and lead them onward.

There was an entire village made of ice spread out before them. The roads, the houses, the streetlights, they were all made of ice.

Rosis skidded and slipped over as he set foot onto the main path. "Whoah?!" He snapped, grabbing onto the cuff of Isaac's trousers.

"Better be careful, Rosis, if you fall on a slope you might travel all the way to the bottom..." He laughed.

The Raposa made it into the village centre and looked around at the locals, who pointed and stared at their brightly coloured fur. The locals, you see, were not like the villagers, they had crystal white fur that was thick and bushy. They each wore warm furs made of animal skin and necklaces made of precious stones.

"What..." Rosis began, staring. "...What are they?"

"Raposa, like us." Isaac answered, leading them to a frozen wishing well in the village centre.

"Yeah, but I've never seen a Rapo like that before. Look at their fur, it's white..."

A Rapoman came up to them and shook Isaac and Rosis's hands. "Greetings, Raposa, and welcome to the Snowy Village." He was dressed in silver armour, a sword tucked away in its scabbard. "I am Teal, the head knight for the Snowy Village." Teal did a quick salute. "At your service, Sirs."

Isaac smiled. "Has there been any other Raposa arriving here, besides us?"

"Hm..." Teal pulled a note book from inside of his armour and began to flick through the pages. "Let me see... nope. There's been no more Rapos coming through this gate besides you."

"What?!" An oldrapo snapped from the back of the group. "Isaac, where do you think they are?"

Isaac huffed, hiding his worry. "It's okay, I'm sure they'll be around... somewhere..."

Rosis looked back the way they came and began to fiddle with the tip of his ears. "Teal... are you sure you haven't just missed them?"

"No, I've been on watch all day. No one gets through this gate without me knowing about it." he pointed to the icy path the villagers had come down.

"So," Isaac started to shake in the cold. "How come you're so tied up with the guarding and stuff...?"

Teal sighed. "Well, our lookout Raposa have spotted the Darkness headed our way. We have to make sure no Shadow Creatures get in or out of this village. After all, it's the only place to be free of the stuff besides Frostwind's caves... and trust me, we're gonna need protection when that ugly beast succumbs to the Shadow again."

Rosis shivered. "Hey, have you got any place for us to hold up while the others get here?"

"Sure," he pointed ahead. "The Main Hall, that's that great surly building up there."

The Raposa gazed at the statues that clung to its walls.

"It's right ugly , isn't it?" Teal laughed and began to walk along the ice path. "Come on, I shall escort you to it."

"Whoa...!" Isaac slipped around on the ice. He stared at Teal, who walked normally. "How can you walk like that?"

"Like this?" the knight walked in a circle normally and laughed. "Hah! You village Rapos ain't used to walking on ice, huh? Well, we Arctic Raposa are special. We have proper pads on our paws to help us grip on the ice and snow, and our fur is thick and white to help us blend in."

"Blend in?" Rosis put a hand on a frozen lamppost for balance. "What do you need to blend in for?"

Teal looked up and pointed to a cave in the mountains.


	11. The Snowy Village

Hi again, it's me!

I'd just like to thank Sable for your comments on my story so far, as you've given me the courage to continue with this fanfic :)

I'm currently working at my own personal story, but I'll make sure I'll put as much effort into The Shadow Riser as I possible can.

Also, look out for Wilfre's Chapter once I've finished this fanfic, that's the next on my list ;).

CHAPTER 11

:The Snowy Village:

"Up there lives the great Frostwind." Teal sighed. "For generations he has lived in that cave, and Mothed Nature wants to keep us safe from him..."

The Raposa stood and shivered for a moment as Teal stared up into the sky.

"There's a storm coming..." he muttered.

Rosis unfolded his arms from his chest and tried to see what the Arctic Raposa was seeing. He squinted. "Is that...?"

"Shadow." he answered finally, then his voice became shakey as he bowed hus head in shame. "I... am afraid our village may not be as safe from the Darkness as we thought." Teal shrugged his arms encouragingly and spun to face the others. "But none the less, I have a duty. And that duty is to protect you Raposa... come, we must hurry."

He gestured to another knight to protect the gates, and began to lead the Raposa through the Snowy Village. Rosis took lead of the group next to Teal and watched the locals point and stare.

A young Rapo tugged at and elders shirt. "Do you think those are the Village Rapos...?" she asked. "Are they the Raposa the Great One was talking about?"

"Hey, Teal..." Rosis looked at the knight. "Who's the Great One?"

"He's our mayor, you'll see him when we get to the Main Hall..."

There was a mutter of talking from a group of teenage-Rapos as they walked by. They whispered into each other's ears and giggled, glancing at Rosis and the villagers.

Rosis suddenly felt a flicker of hatred. He balled up his fists and scowled. The Shadow began to build up inside his, infecting his mind with evil thoughts. A tendril of blackness crept around inside his hand. He relaxed suddenly, and decided to calm himself down before things got out of hand. Now he knew the little effort it would take for the Shadow to take over.

He sighed and tucked his hands away inside of his sleeves, leaving Teal to ruffle the fur on his ears in concern.

"Are you alright there, young in'." he asked, his armour clunking on the icy ground. "The cold getting to you?"

"What...?" Rosis looked up and gave a weak smile. "Uh."

The knight caught his gaze into the distance behind him, and spun his head around. The Rapo-teens skidded into the opposite direction and sniggered. Teal scowled. "Those kids getting to ya instead of the cold, huh?" he shook his head and stared at the ground as he walked. "Gah, don't listen to 'em... they ain't no better than the cold itself anyway."

For the rest of the journey through the village, they were silent. All the Raposa travelled in twos, linking arms to limit the times they fall. Even so, some of the Rapokids slipped and skidded a couple of times.

Eventually, Rosis took his eyes off the ground as Teal tapped his white-furred hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, wow..." Rosis stood back to admire the building ahead of him. "It's... it's..."

"Beautiful, isn't it?" the knight smiled and briefly glanced back at the rest of the group. "Rosis, villagers, welcome to the Main Hall." he took a few steps forward and turned around so that he was facing them. "Please, come on in. We implore visitors here in the Snowy Village, and personally, I want to be the one to tell them about its history..."

The Main Hall was a vast expanse of light coloured bricks laced with snow and fading windows steamed up from the inside. It had an old feeling about the building, as if it had been there for centuries.

Teal smiled smuggly and opened the door, letting in the villagers first so that he close the door behind him.

Rosis looked around in awe: the walls showing golden-framed pictures with important-looking Raposa captured inside of them. There were glass cases all around him that contained every spieces of Baki, Pengoon and Snowget in the known world. But the one thing that caught his eyes the most was the gold-plated staircases leading up to the second floor.

His eyes followed the red carpet up them and trailed the walls at the top, meeting the ivory patterned ceiling above him. In the centre was a vague carving of the Creator's drawings: forests, beaches, planets, vast oceans and their marine life, animals and even something that resembled the Raposa Village.

Rosis shuddered and looked down for a moment, seeing Teal gesture ahead of him. He smiled blankly and walked with him.

"For generations, our village has been here under the watchful eye of the great Frostwind." Teal waved a hand in the direction of a painting portraying a blue dragon and two Raposa with yellow fur and no ears standing in its shadow. "We may live in fear of him, but we believe that the dragon holds the key to our prosperity and hope. It is said that one day, when the time of evil is upon us, Frostwind will emerge from his cave and free us from the grasp of our undoing, staring terror in the eyes and destroying it with his mere presence..."

Time of evil... Rosis thought, what does that mean?

"But," Teal coughed, removing some of the villagers from Oblivion. "Moving on, we can't spend all of our time on one painting, can we?" he laughed and lead them to the a row of weapons and armour.

As Rosis began to study the array of objects, the knight strolled away at a pace that wouldn't seem concerning if it was coming from an average Raposa. He watched Teal out of the corner if his eye walk up to another Raposa, a girl, who was dressed in red robes and a hood hanging at the back. She, like the others, had crystal white hair and pale blue eyes. The robed Raposa caught sight of Rosis for a moment, and shook her head briefly before returning to look at Teal.

"Aria, have you heard from the other group yet...?" Teal whispered, Rosis listening in.

Aria, Rosis narrowed her eyes, I have to remember that name. She looks kinda important...

"No," Aria replied emotionlessly. "Have you?"

Teal stamped his paw against the ground and shook his head with a scowl. "Me neither, have your druids on look out for them. They must return here, if they do not Circi may escape. We cannot afford to let her loose out here. Not at a time like this..."

"Teal, what about the Darkness? I've had reports telling me that it's gaining speed."

"I know, I know..." he sighed. "Get some of your other druids out after that thing, slow it down as much as possible while I arrange a small scale attack against the outer layer of Shadows with my men." Teal stared at her for a while, before continuing. "Once you have given your orders to the druids, I want you to keep an eye on that Rosis boy... I have a bad feeling he is hiding something. Discover what it is. Gain his trust, Aria.

"And you know the consequences if you do not..."

Rosis' fur prickled.

Aria did a quick salute to Teal before marching out of sight. He spun around and walked back to the villagers.

Rosis busied himself clumsily with a gold helmet on display as the knight wandered in his direction. He stared, shuffling his paws on the ground nervously, his heart a thumping drum in his chest. He could feel his pulse in his head as a soft white paw placed itself onto his shoulder.

"Rosis, my friend!" Teal laughed happily.

Rosis spun around and tried to look calm, even though his ears were trembling and drooped at the ends. "Oh, Teal... hi..."

The knight smiled and noticed the helmet. "I see you've taken a liking to this fine piece of art..."

"Uh, yeah... it's very..." Rosis stared at the shining surface and sighed. "...Creative."

"Modelled from the Great One's war helmet, every aspect is the same. It is an exact replica of the one he's wearing right now."

"Cool," he forced himself to calm down. "So when will I get to meet this 'Great One'?"

Teal tensed. "Hmph, I have a few matters to attend to first, but I assure you, you will get to meet him. And that goes for the rest of the villagers too..."

There was a crack of lightning from outside, lighting up the room fiercely. Rosis leapt, his fur standing on end in surprise.

"There's a storm setting in..." Teal growled. "I hope your friends arrive soon, it will be dangerous out there... with the Darkness setting in and all." he cheered up and smiled, flipping the helmet down over his face. "But anyway, must dash!"

Rosis watched him scuttle away into the distance and through the main doors. He sighed and looked at the others as they laughed with each other happily.


	12. The Villagers View

CHAPTER 12

:The Villagers View:

The snow began to fall from the sky, getting heavier by every minute that passed. They were lost, and he knew it.

Jowee scowled and turned to face the others. "It's no use... I can't see squat out there, there's too much snow!" he sighed and kicked the snow on the ground with his paw. "Gah, I'm cold and tired and I want to go home..."

Dr Cure shook her head and put her hand on him shoulder. "Jowee, Jowee, Jowee..." she laughed quietly. "I know... we all want to get out of this cold and go home too..." she gestured to the other villagers around her. "But you saw what happened to the Raposa Village, we can't go back. Not now."

"We have two options," Farmer Brown said. "One: we can stay here, freeze to death, and pray to the Creator that the others will find us... or two: we can find our way out of this here storm and get to the Snowy Village without turing into blocks 'o ice."

Jowee shrugged his shoulders. "Farmer Brown's right." he looked at the shivering Raposa around him. "We have to get out of this, _with_ our lives..." he sighed and began to lead the way again. "I just hope Mari's okay being alone with Circi this long..."

Meanwhile, a couple of miles away, two Raposa were squabbling over which way to head next.

"This way!" Circi snapped, pulling on her handcuffs.

"Well, I say this way!" Mari yelled, yanking her back.

"Yeah, and why should I listen you?"

She pulled close to her and scowled, ears flattening out against her head. "Because I'm the mayor, and what I say goes. Do I make myself clear, Circi?"

Circi backed away and folded her arms, flicking her hair before hand and lettingout a 'hrmph'.

"Now, I don't want another word from you. Not one until we get to the Snowy Village. And when we do," Mari laughed while talking. "Boy, are you gonna have a lot of explaining to do..."

She scowled and walked with her along the icy path, trying not to make eye contact. After ten minutes, Circi had endured enough and decided to make a move...

"Hey, Mari..." she said innocently.

Mari sighed. "I thought we agreed, Circi, not a word..."

"I know, I know... but I just wanted to say," Circi paused and took a breath. "I'm sorry... for everything. What happened now, and back in the village."

She stopped and stared for a moment, tucking her arms around herself for warmth. "I don't know if I can believe you. After all you've done, why should I trust you...?!"

"Mari, please. What I say is the truth. I cannot bare to keep it from you anymore!" Circi shook her head. "Gah, what I did in the village, it was purely out of my love for Wilfre. And I'm over him now..."

 _No I am **not** , _she thought, _I'd never give up on him..._

"So what do you say, Mari, do you trust me...? Mari?"

"Fine. Yes, I guess..." Mari shook in disbelief. "I... uh..." she sighed. "Circi, I..."

Before she was half way through her sentence, something hard hit her over the head. Mari's ears began to ring as she fell to the ground, the world becoming crazy as the sky shone white with bushy clouds and sheets of snow. Circi hovered over her figure, holding a log snapped from a tree. Her red hair had fallen in front of her face as she stared down at Mari.

"I would never give up on Wilfre..." she hissed, raising the log into the air. "You stupid, stupid baki-of-a-Rapo...!"

There was a lound ' **THUNK** ' and Mari was out cold...


	13. Each and Every One

CHAPTER 13

:Each and Every One:

Rosis sat with his back against the wall, drumming his paws against the polished floor. Snow was pelting heavily outside, building in the white clouds above. He sighed and looked at Isaac, getting to his feet.

"I hope they're alright..."

Isaac glanced at him. "Who?"

"The villagers..." Rosis looked out through the steamed up window beside him. " he shook his head. "All that snow, they must be freezing out there. I can't stop thinking about Mari and Jowee, they've always been there for me, ever since I can remember they've been the ones to set things right. To look after me." his ears trembled at the tips slightly, his voice shaking a little. "It's just that they've done so much, and I can't even return the favour..."

"Rosis," Isaac put his hand on his shoulder. "You're talking as if it's your fault. And you know it's not..."

Rosis hid a look of disappointment, _you have no idea..._ he thought.

"I'm sure they're fine, I mean-"

The main dors flung open, wind and sleet gushing into the building. Jowee entered, along with Dr Cure, Farmer Brown and a few others.

"Jowee!" Rosis ran over to him as half a douzen knights bolted the door closed behind them. "Jowee, are you okay?"

He shivered and nodded slightly, smiling as he did so. "I'm fine... just a little cold, that's all." Jowee shook his head as a few Raposa rushed over. "No, no, don't worry about me. Look after the villagers..."

Rosis stared with his purple eyes meeting Jowee's grey ones. "Is everyone here? Did everyone make it okay...?"

"Each and every one of us," he sighed. "Except Mari and Circi..."

His heart sank, _oh no,_ his body trembled.

"We were separated after an attack by Shadow Walkers, no one's seen them since..." Jowee rested his hand agagainst the wall. "Rosis, don't worry. Mari has never not pulled through for us. She'll be fine..."

"But Circi..."

"I know, Circi's a pain. She's caused so much trouble here, but Mari will be able to handle her..." Jowee nodded. "She will."

After there was silence. Only the sound of the sleet against the windows and the occasional cough from the Raposa around them made a sound. Isaac was handling a silver object carefully, as were a couple of other Raposa.

Farmer Brown's son was reunited with his father and mother, they were stood at the foot of a statue in the corner.

Rosis sighed, and stood up, looking out of the window casually. He squinted at a brief speck of silver in the distance, barely visable through the snow. Two white ears appeared, sticking through the gaps in a metal helmet. It was a Raposa.

"It..." Rosis jerked toward the door. "It's Teal!"

As he spoke, Teal fell face first into the snow and lay still, the wind tugging at his ears.

"He needs our help!"

He ran toward the exit, pushing through a group of knights and unbolting the door. A gust of wind blew inside and, with it, a cold chill of snow and ice sent splintering across the floor. Rosis ran out into the storm, shielding his eyes and pulling his coat closer to his body.

He called out, but his voice was no more than a whisper against teh wind. Glancing back, there was a dull light from the inside of the Main Hall where a few silhouettes could be seen against the doorway, pointing into his direction.

Rosis looked around him and shivered. Snow was circling him, encasing his body and blocking everything around him from view. He put his head down and began to jog ahead, his paws crunching against the snow.

"Teal!" he called. "Teal, where are you...? Please... please answer me... Teal."

Rosis was about to give up when a voice responded weakly.

"Rosis...?" Teal said. "Is that you? You shouldn't have come after me, the cold is a real killer out here..."

"Teal!" he ran forward to a shape lying in the snow, ice building on the ground quickly. "I don't care! I would never leave you out here... never..."

Teal was half buried in snow, his armour cold to the touch. Rosis began to shuffle his out and eventually managed to drag him up and onto his paws. He put Teal's arm over his shoulder and began to walk back.

Teal let out a timid laugh as he stumbled through the banks of snow. "It seems I've underestimated you, Rosis. You're a good kid. You're tough, courageous... you know, considering you're only fourteen, you have the mind to be a hero one day. And who knows? Maybe you already are...

"And right now, our world's gonna need a hero. We had one before, now we need one now; but not some mannequin, we need a Raposa. A Raposa with a heart and a soul as equally as uncorruptable. Rosis, you are that Raposa we need..."

Rosis smiled. "Thanks..."

 _What have I become?_ he thought, _I've become the villain and everyone thinks I'm the hero..._

Hobbling through the storm, Rosis dragged the knight back to the foot of the Main Hall. From there, druids took control of Teal and lead him inside.

Raposa rushed around each other, brushing past Rosis as Jowee ran over.

"Hey, what's going on?" he asked in a concerned voice.

He pointed over to the knight who was laid on the floor. "It's Teal, he's the..."

Jowee scowled. "Yeah, I know that Rapo." he said as Rosis threw him a look that could have made a baki drop dead. "I know him..."

"I... don't understand. Why...?"

He shook his head. "He's not to be trusted. Ever... that Rapo has caused way too much trouble already."

Rosis frowned. "Hey, I thought he was the one who let us stay here, who gave us shelter because our village is... Shadowed..."

"Sure," he said. "I'm aware of that. But Teal is a lying, sneaking little..."

There was a frustrated cough from behind them. Jowee and Rosis turned around to see Aria, her hood over her head, stood silently. She looked over at Teal sadly. "I've heard about the ordeal with Teal, Rosis, you should be counted as a hero for what you've done."

A sharp pain stabbed inside Rosis and he winced keeping down his frustration.

"And there's only one way to repay you. And that is to take you to the Great One. He should have some surprises in for you..." Aria said. "Come with me, your villagers are more than welcome to join."

"Woah, woah, woah!" Jowee shook his head. "I'm in charge of this Rapo, not you."

"Jowee, come on," Rosis sighed. "I fourteen! I can look after myself."

"So maybe you can look after yourself, do your own thing or whatever," he growled, his ears flattening out. "But seeing as Mari is not here, _I_ am acting mayor. You are fourteen, but for now I control what you do. And that goes for the rest of the village too..."

Rosis had nothing more to say. Why was Jowee acting in such a way?

"Jowee... come on..."

"No, Rosis." he said finally.

Rosis scowled. "Fine, give me one reason why you should keep me here!"

He pulled him closer and whispered in his ear. "Because Teal is not to be trusted, neither is Aria..." Jowee sighed. "Listen, Rosis, meet me here at midnight. I'll tell you everything I've learnt about them, just make sure no one follows you..."

Jowee turned and fled, blending in with the crowd of Raposa around Teal.


	14. One Past Midnight

CHAPTER 14

:One Past Midnight:

Once again, the sun dissappeared into the snow clouds, the Snowy Village falling into the dark. A dim streetlight flickered into life as Rosis stared through a window in the Main Hall. He sighed and shivered in the cold, wrapping his paws in the ends of his jumper.

Teal had been taken to an infirmary somewhere in the building and Aria had lead the villagers to a small hotel connected to the Main Hall. Rosis had been persuaded by the others to come with them and look at the room he was sharing with a few other Raposa. He had taken a look around, but was intent on leaving as soon as he could. Jowee would be waiting and he couldn't leave him there.

Rosis took his eyes away from the window and looked around, a shuffle startling him. "Who's there...?" he called. "Jowee, is that you?"

There was a clunk of armour on the marble floor and heavy marble footsteps echoing off the walls. Rosis hid behind a case of antiques and stared. A group of knights cane into view, including Teal.

 _Hey,_ Rosis thought as his ears flattened out, _I thought he was recovering..._

"You hear tha?" the knight on the left said quietly. "Somefink's 'ere!"

There was a rustle of armour as the knight on the right shook his head. "Don' be stupid, ain't no one allowed in 'ere past the fall 'o sun."

Teal grunted. "Quiet, both of you."

The knights scowled and fell silent.

"Don't you worry, if anyone is here I'll set the bakis on them." be smiled, Rosis shivering. "Right, you two know what you're looking for?"

The knights shrugged.

Teal scowled then let out a frustrated sigh. "Like I've said one hundred times, we are here for the scroll..."

"Uh, scroll?"

"Bah! Do you two ever listen?" he shook his head. "I'll take that as a no. The scroll, the one that's a page for the Book of Life. It's the only thing why were allowing the Raposa Village people stay here."

"I don' get it, why are they staying 'ere?" the knight said.

"Because they have the Book, you fool!" Teal breathed out. "...If we get that page and put it back where it belongs, we can destroy the Shadow once and for all... it's the only thing that can save us now!"

"Why don' ya just tell em we 'ave the page then they can put it back in themselves?"

"Because if they know we have the page they'll destroy it. Why? Because if the page is put back into the Book of Life, the Creator will suffer. You see, this page was not made by the Creator, it was made by Wilfre in case the Shadow ever turned on him. And because it was made by a Raposa, there is a chance that the Creator will slowly start to die after destroying it." Teal paused for a second. "That village would never risk the life of the Creator for a life of being Shadow free..."

"But if the Creator dies," the knight said. "Won' we start ta fall apart too? Remember what happened when the Creator abandoned us...?"

"It's worth a shot, we cannot let our descendents live by the tyranny of Shadow." Teal cleared his throat. "Right, did you get all of that?"

"Yessir!"

"Then hop to it! We don't have any time to lose..."

The knights immediately began looking into the cases of artifacts, red eyes staring at each one. Rosis snuck around the side of the case and readied himself to jog to the other side. He held his breath and ran on all-fours across the polished floor. Something fell from his pocket and hit the ground with a clink. Pressing himself to the case on the other side, Rosis clenched his fists, seeing the object lying haplessly.

The Darkness Pen...

"Hoi!" the attention of a knight was caught. "Oo's there?!" he drew a sword from its scabbard and jogged to the scene, stopping a few metres away as the second knight and Teal came to inspect.

"Wassat...?" he pointed to the Darkness pen.

The second knight walked a little closer. "Looks like a..." his face scrunched up. "...a pen?"

The two of them exchanged glances and began to laugh. Teal raised a hand to signal then to be quiet. The skin under his eyes tightened as he walked forward, drawing a dagger silently.

"Do you imbeciles know what this means?" Teal growled, the knights stiffening. He turned to face them and raised an eyebrow, his white fur standing on end. "It means that someone _is_ in here with us, and that someone has heard every part of our conversation..."

Teal walked calmly over to the Darkness Pen and placed it into his pocket. "Gravenhurst, Duncan," the knights raised their heads. "Release the Bakis."

 _Gravenhurst_... Rosis looked over to the first knight, a large, unkept Raposa with dirty white fur painted with scars. His eyes were red and narrowed, carrying pupils as thin as the blade on Teal's dagger. Perhaps he was an albino. His ears were short and straggly, the tufts on the ends half pulled out and wiry. Gravenhurst was most likely the biggest Raposa that has ever lived: four times the size of Rosis, muscles bulging against gold armour.

 _Duncan..._ he was smaller, but still would match up equally in a fight with Gravenhurst. He was around two feet taller that Rosis, his ears taking up most of his height. Duncan's face was pinched, his eyes sunken and grey in colour. He was not an Arctic Raposa, instead he had rust red fur with a white face and paws. A scar trailed across his lips, forcing him to bare his yellow teeth, giving him a permanent look of distaste. Duncan's armour looked custom built: extra tough and reinforced with titanium, it would take more than a mere bullet or blade to get through its silver surface.

"That means now!" Rosis leapt as Teal's voice boomed through the cold air, Gravenhurst and Duncan toddling away nervously.

"Right you are, Sir!" Gravenhurst said, his armour clanking heavily. Hoi, Duncan! Get ya fluffy behind inta the prisons and release dem Bakis."

Duncan jogged along side him. "Where might dey be again...?"

"Gah!" he grabbed him by the ears. "Fine. I'll do it, ya bumbling fool..."

Teal watched as they thundered up a flight of stairs to the right. He breathed out heavily and brought his dagger back into view.

Closing his eyes, Rosis realised there was only one chance of escaping. He shot across the room, his paws hitting the marble with a squeak. Teal's eyes darted to him and turned to slits.

"You!" he bellowed. "Stop where you are!"

Rosis kept his head down, hoping he wouldn't be recognised, and swung open a door. He raced down the corridor that lead to the hotels and disappeared.

Meanwhile, Teal placed the dagger back into its scabbard and scowled. "I knew you Raposa Village freaks couldn't be trusted... but not to worry, I'll be getting what I want then disposing of you all."


	15. Pawprints in the Snow

CHAPTER 15

:Pawprints in the Snow:

Mari's eyes flicked open. She rose from her back and shook the snow from her body, looking around in astonishment. She caught sight of the log on the floor, laced with white fragments of ice.

"Why that little Circi..." Mari sighed and stood up, wrapping her arms closer to her for warmth. "She's gone... all that work and she's gone. Oh, Creator... what are we going to do?"

 **There is more at stake than her now, dear Mari."** the Creator's voice spoke softly through the air, a clump of snow sliding from a tree branch."

"What do you mean? Circi is the reason the Shadow has returned, she has the Book of Life!"

 **"I fear not..."** Mari's eyes narrowed to the heavens above her.

 **"Circi did not create the Darkness a second time, and I fear that the Book is not in her possesion..."**

She shook her head. "But... if Circi didn't do this," her arms gestured around her, the Shadow creeping in slowly. "Then who did?"

 **"You already know the Raposa who is at the heart of this conundrum,"**

"Wilfre?"

The Creator paused. **"No, no... you are far closer to him than Wilfre."** a gust of wind sent the snow whirling through the air. **"Find him, Mari, before what is at stake cannot be undone..."**

Mari shuffled the ice from her red fur. "Creator, please... if this is so futile, then tell me who this Raposa is! Tell me who is behind all of this! I can't do this on my own, not anymore..." she fell to her knees and sobbed. "Please... I just want this to stop. My village has known the Shadow its whole life, the Rapokids don't know a life other than fear! Help us, Creator, don't leave us on our own again. Please!"

 **"Find this Raposa, Mari, but be careful... he does not know the sheer power of what he holds."** there was a final gust of wind and everything fell silent, leaving Mari once again completely alone...

She looked up into the sky, seeing the first glimmer of blue sky through the trees. Wiping the tears from her eyes, Mari stood up and began to walk.

"I guess I don't have a choice anymore..." she whispered. "It's either I find this Rapo, or my world will fall into the hands of the Darkness."

It was then that something caught her eye. An ingraving in the snow... pawprints!

"Hm..." Mari began to follow the trail as more appeared in front of it. "If I can't find my way to the Snowy Village, I'm gonna go find Circi... if anyone knows who's behind this, she sure does..."


	16. Signs and Warning

CHAPTER 16

:Signs and Warnings:

Rosis pressed himself against the wall of the hotel room, his breathing heavy and course. His breath hovered in the air in front of him before evaporating in the cold. Rosis shuffled to the floor and held his head in his hands, closing his eyes. The world began to spin in dark colours, moving calmly and shifting with the night. Suddenly Shadow and Darkness drifted into his mind, filling his thoughts with clouds of fear.

A cold figure formed, glossy white eyes and a black surface with tendrils of ink exploring the surroundings. He smiled at Rosis, stepping forth in the Shadow.

Wilfre...

Rosis couldn't quite understand what was happening... even though he'd never seen Wilfre, he seemed to know who that dark Raposa was.

Wilfre spoke low and soft, only letting Rosis take in a few words. "...Raposa... Shadow realm of... creatures... keep apart... Darkness leading into the..."

Rosis tilted his head. "Wilfre... I don't understand what you're saying. I..."

"...Unleash the... Darkness... Circi is... is... Please..." there was a long pause. "Rosis."

Wilfre curled into a spinning portal, Shadow morphing into different positions. There was a loud exposion before he disappeared altogether.

"...Rosis..."

"...Rosis..."

"...Rosis..."

Rosis' eyes flicked open, daylight pouring through the windows. He had been dreaming. Jowee was standing above him, a frown upon his face.

"Oh, Rosis!" he sighed. "Thank the Creator you're alright! I've been trying to wake you for hours..."

"J... Jowee?" Rosis stammered, lifting himself up from the cold wooden floor. "Jowee! I am so sorry about not meeting you last night, it's just..."

"Yeah, I know. Teal and his knights were patrolling the Main Hall, I saw them... I'm just so glad you're okay, you have no idea what they'd have done to you if you were caught."

"Jowee..." Rosis stood up. "Jowee there's a page, a page from the Book of Life! Right here in the Hall!"

"I know... it's a page to destroy the Darkness once and for all." Jowee sighed and looked at him with tired eyes. "Unfortunately, Teal has it..."

"Jowee, you know what could happen if..."

"I know, I know... well, looks like we've gotta get it back then."

"But we don't have the Book of Life..." Rosis said, remembering that he'd left it back at Wilfre's study.

"But if they find Circi..."

"We don't even know if she has it!"

"That's a fair point, Circi could have lost it..." he stared. "We have got to find that Book, Rosis, who knows what'll happen if either of them get to it first..."

Rosis stod and stared for a moment, recalling the events of the previous night. Then it came to him; one simple fraction. "Hey, Jowee... Teal mentioned something about bakis. D'you know anything about it?"

He shook his head and gestured for him to continue.

"Duncan and Gravenhurst, the knights, released them from somewhere... but I don't know, Jowee, they might not cause much trouble." he laughed. "They are bakis after all!"

Jowee narrowed his eyes. "Bakis." he shrugged, the golden bell on his scarf tinkling gently. "I'm not so sure, knowing Teal there's bound to be more to it than a baki attack."

There was a brief knock on the door and Isaac's voice sounded out from beyond it. "Jowee! Rosis! You in there?"

"Yeah, were here." Jowee walked over to the door and opened it. "What's up?"

"Teal's called a meeting, he said there was an incident at the Main Hall last night!" Isaac said.

"So I heard," he sighed. "Come on, Rosis, we'd best be getting there."

Rosis nodded and strolled quieltly over to him once the shopkeeper had left. "Jowee... I don't know, what if Teal knows it was me sneaking around? What's he gonna do to me?"

"It's okay," Jowee bit his lip. "If you turn up it won't look as suspicious as you staystaying here."

"You're right... but what you were saying about those bakis earlier, Teal wanted them released to search for me."

"C'mon," he pulled Rosis along by the cuff on his green jumper and closed the door. They stood in the corridor before continuing on to the left. "We have bigger problems to worry about. Besides, the Creator is bound to lead us a hand if we run into any trouble. It's not like either of us have done any wrong..."

"Hm..." Rosis' eyes glanced away before looking back at the patterned floor.

"Rosis...?"

He looked up to find Jowee staring at him with wide eyes. "Uh, hey..." changing the subject, he directed his attention away from that matter. "You never did tell me why Teal was not to be trusted, I mean there is that thing with the page and all, but I'm sure he can be negotiated with, right?"

"I'm not so sure," Jowee gave a cold scowl to a group of knights to the right. "Teal is hiding something from all of us, even some of the Snowy Village Raposa don't know... listen, this guy is dangerous. He doesn't want to help us, Teal only wants the Book of Life so that he can destroy the Shadow." there was a short pause before he continued. "Rosis, Teal is a..."

Jowee fell suddenly silent.

"...Teal is a...?" Rosis urged. It was then that he noticed that they were being followed - a Raposa in robes with crystal white fur tied back neatly. He spun his head around to meet is purple eyes with a pair of bright ones, Aria's.

She smiled warmly. "Good morning, Rosis. Ah, Jowee, it's good to see you up and about so quickly. It mustn't have been very welcoming to be stuck out in that snowstorm." Aria gestured to the pelting ice that was building up against the windows. "Teal has ordered me to stay by your side..." she stared at Rosis emotionlessly.

"Uh," Rosis forced a smile. "Sure, why not?"

He gave a brief look of concern to Jowee, who was staring ahead as Aria took a place next to him.

"Oh, would you look at that..." she clapped. "We're here."

The doors opened with a squeak, the three Raposa walking into a room full of bustling movement and chatter. Arctic Raposa sitting on one side of the room, the villagers sitting on the other. Aria waved a hand in front of her, signaling for them to take a seat. Rosis nodded and lead Jowee to the front row of Raposa Villagers.

"That's an awful lot of knights..." Jowee whispered as they sat on the wooden chairs. As to his word, a row of gold armoured Raposa were stood in a row that stretched from one side of the room to the other. Each of them were stood silently with their paws behind their backs.

"Ooh," Isaac, Mya and Cindi were sitting beside Jowee. "Look at those Raposa! Don't they look fabulous..."

Teal walked onto the stage with the knights and signaled for the lights to turn off. A single ray of yellow light ran onto his as everything fell silent.

"Ladies and Gentlerapos..." Teal began. "It is so wonderful to see you here again, it has been a while since our last village meeting." there was a click as a projector fired an image of a snow cloud onto the back wall. "As you may know, the snowstorm has been raging on through these past few days and has shown no sign of slowing down. Whatsmore, the Raposa Village mayor, Mari, is still missing along with Circi, the only known possible source of the Shadow.

"Worse yet, there is far more unnerving events at our side. Despite the snowstorm holding quite an attack to our village, the Darkness is close behind it and is advancing rapidly. It should reach the Snowy Village within a week, but we have hit a flaw in our system: with some of our highest ranking officers part of a search party for Circi and Mari, we are running short on knights and therefore we do not have enough soldiers to ward off the Darkness..."

There was a wave of muttering in the crowd.

"What are we gonna do...?"

"There's no where we can go! We're trapped in the Snowy Village with Darkness coming at us from both sides..."

"That Wilfre... if he'd have just left us be none of this would have ever happened."

"But please, please..." Teal announced. "Try not to panic, I have arranged an evacuation that shall take place just after the snow storm has passed over the village."

"But won't the Darkness consume us after it's gone?" an Arctic Raposa cried out over the muttering.

"Fortunately there is a ten minute gap between when the snowstorm leaves and the Darkness hits, if we leave within that window we should be able to escape unscathed..."

"Sir," Farmer Brown called. "Might y'all be suggestin' where we be headin' to?"

"The foothills just beyond Frostwind's mountain, there's an abandond fort where we can stay."

"But will we be able to get there in ten minutes...?"

Teal sighed as the noise began to rise. "Silence, there is one other topic I would like to cover before you disperse." there was another click as a picture of the Main Building flashed up. "It has come to my attention that there has been a Raposa that has taken it upon themselves to venture into the Main Hall past the twelve o'clock mark. I must warn you that trespassing is against the Snowy Village law and will not be taken under any tomfoolery."

A couple of Raposa exchanged curious glances.

"However, as I am aware it was no Arctic Raposa, it was a Raposa Villager."

The knights stared to the left and growled deeply.

"There is no exception to this law and there will be consequences..." Teal stared coldly, an expression held to his face that clearly explained that he was angry. "I wish for the culprit to step forward, otherwise all of the Raposa Village shall be punished."

Rosis swallowed. What if Teal had seen him? But that didn't matter now... he may have brought back the Darkness that was destroying his entire world, but he'd never let anything happen to his friends. Not for something he did.

"No one coming forward, hm?" Teal fluffed the ends of his ears and rubbed his paws together in the cold. "Let's hurry up with this..."

There was a dull clink of metal and a squeak as Cindi was lifted up from her seat and held in the air, her blue eyes suddenly overflowing with tears.

"Cindi!" Isaac snapped, baring his teeth.

"Let her go!" Rosis found himself suddenly standing, as did most of the other Raposa.

Farmer Brown waved his pitchfork in his direction. "What's wrong wit you?!" he gestured to Teal. "This here Rapo be no better than Wilfre himself!"

The crowd scowled in his direction, the knights drawing their swords and stepping forward.

"Now, now," Teal held onto Cindi with his claws, holding her higher in the air than before. "I wish not to hurt the Rapogirl, but I am afraid you will leave me no choice if the culprit does not step forward..."

Rosis sighed and held his eyes tightly closed, opening his mouth to speak. But it wasn't his voice that spoke next...

"It was me," Jowee stepped forward. "I did it, now let her go."

"Jowee!" Rosis whispered as the Raposa fell silent. "What are you doing?!"

"Ah," Teal threw Cindi back to Isaac and grinned. "Got you."

As Isaac and Mya clutched hold of thier daughter, the knights advanced on Jowee and took him forward. Teal whispered into his ear.

"I know quite well it wasn't you, Jowee, but I'll have you know that there are fates far worse than what you have planned..." he gestured to Jowee as the knights lead him away through a door. "And as for the rest of you, I expect no more of this! You may leave..."


	17. I Would Never Let You Go

CHAPTER 17

:I Would Never Let You Go:

Rosis watched him go. His bestfriend and lifelong guardian, dragged away by three gold-armoured knights. His mind was swimming with emotions, part of him wanted to interfere but he knew it wasn't going to end well.

Teal stood centre stage, watching his fellow Raposa leave the room. It was then that his eyes fell onto Rosis, who's pale face was lacking expression. He stared as their eyes locked together, Raposa gliding past them in a flurry of white and orange fur. The world seemed to run quiet, molding into oblivion and twisting with a range of thoughts.

As the room fell still, the last of the villagers leaving the room, Rosis decided to open his mouth. "What are you going to do with him?" he asked plainly.

"Jowee will get what punishment is heading his way. A punishment that is rightfully yours."

So Teal did know it was him after all. He breathed out gently, making sure not to move. "If you knew it was me, then why did you ask for someone to come forward? And why did you let Jowee get away with that?"

Teal sighed and pushed his helmet off his head, laying it on the wooden floor next to him. "I wanted to know how honest you Rapos really are, and so it seems, your not as noble as you look."

Rosis stared at him.

"And as for that friend of yours, it proves just how much he cares for you, Rosis," he smiled. "He would never let you take the punishment."

"Then why are you giving it to him?!"

Teal lowered his voice to nothing more than a growl. "Because liars are not tolerated here in the Snowy Village," he bared his teeth. "And Raposa shouldn't defend each other here. Not like that, and especially not from a visitor..."

The Raposa spun on his heels and walked the other way, Rosis left on his own in the room. He stared around and suddenly felt very alone... in fact, he'd never felt so alone in his life: with Mari still missing and Jowee now held prisoner for a crime he did not commit, Rosis was left with next to nothing.

Sure, he had Isaac, but he couldn't stay with him all day. That Rapo had a family to take care of, and at this time he should stay with Cindi and Mya. Rosis breathed in deeply. The air smelt of wood and purfume - harsh and fragrant, this metalic aroma was familiar... but he couldn't quite place it.

There was the faint click against glass as hail began to hit the windows, building up thickly. Rosis shivered and decided it was best to leave, but where would he go? If he went back to the villagers nothing much would happen until they left, and on top of that Jowee wasn't with him.

He shrugged. "That's it," Rosis whispered. "I'm coming to find you, Jowee, and then we can get to the bottom of all this funny business..."

Meanwhile, a red-headed Raposa was stumbling through the snow. She suddenly tripped, looking up from the whiteness with a scowl.

"Hmph," Circi growled, staring at the metal looped around her paws. "I simply must get these things off of me..."

Picking herself up, Circi pushed her way through the dying undergrowth to discover a Rapohouse - a familiar one, only this time it was a little different...

"Wilfre's house... boy, this place has change a lot."

True to her word, Wilfre's Rapohouse was hardly recognisable. Shadow was oozing out of the chimney and through the windows, spilling out onto the grass and turning the ground white as a sheet. The snow was blending into the uncoloured areas.

"Hm, never the less... I must go inside, that stupid Rapokid left the Book of Life behind. He never was the brightest bulb in the factory, but my Wilfre was!" Circi grinned. "And now, with the Book at my diaposal... I can return him from the dead."

She held in a laugh and ran up to the door, Shadow gripping her paws and clibing up her legs as she travelled into Wilfre's study. Two dark figures were stood in her way, staring down at her.

"Move." Circi snapped. "I don't have time to mess around..."

"Master Rosis said he didn't want you here, Circi." The Shadow Walker growled. "Leave now, or pay the price."

"Ha! I don't think so..." She smiled. "Do idiotic creations really follow that child? Why would you do that...? I bet Wilfre won't be happy..."

They continued to stare.

"Fine, you leave me no choice." Circi stepped forward as the Shadow bared its pearly white teeth.

Ducking down, she dodged its outstretched arm and dove a paw into its inky suface. The Shadow melted on impact, letting out a dull groan. Circi grinned as the second Walked came at her, slipping to the side and grabbing a small statue of the Book of Life from a shelf.

The Shadow Walker spun around, its sneer suddenly turning to a look of surprise as a marble statue flew through its middle, creating a hole. As it melted into a puddle, Circi clapped her hands.

"Finally! No more distractions, I can get down to business..."

She wandered into the study, not even trying to avoid the curling tendrils of Shadow. Circi knew she was twice as powerful with the Shadow, and right now she could use that power. Wilfre's chair was just up ahead, Darkness flowing around the feet and climbing the arms. She placed herself on its soft surface and grinned down at the red book before her.

"The Book of Life..." Circi's paws trailed the golden swirl on the cover before opening it. "...No one, can stop me now..."

" _And just what do you think you're doing?!_ " The doorway was now filled by a Rapo in an orange dress.

"...except for you." she whispered uunder her breath, suddenly standing with the Book under her arm.

"Circi." Mari walked forward confidently. Her paws were protected from the Shadow by a thin layer of leaves, which were slowly turning white. "...Don't make another move."

"Or what?" she mocked. "You'll get your people to arrest me? Lock me in a prison for the rest of my life? I don't think so, not even blind luck will halt the army of Shadows spreading through this land. Soon enough, our whole world will become a paradise for Darkness that Wilfre and I will rule over" Circi scowled.

"Wilfre? And how exactly do you plan on bringing him back? You have no idea what he looks like! Moreover, that Rapo won't like you. He won't like anyone,"

"Sure he will!" Circi snapped, dragging herself forward.

"No, Wilfre will befriend you, use you for what he needs, then drop you just like he dropped everyone else." Mari sighed. "That Rapo has one task at hand and, from experience, he's not the kind of guy who'd give up his entire world to anyone."

"Well..." she folded her arms. "... _I'm_ not just anyone. "Hrmph, you're all alone in the big wide world, with no hero to protect you. And with the village consumed by Darkness, Creation Hall is buried in Shadow. As for the hero himself... he might as well be dead." she laughed. "Face it, Mari, you're finished. No one will protect you... not even the Creator..."

Circi stepped up, Shadow peeling itself across her face, in the place of her eyes two white voids appeared. She tilted her head mockingly, a sharp-toothed smile creeping through the Darkness. Tendrils dropped from her ear. The cuffs around her hands slid from her arms and landed on the wooden floor with a loud 'thunk'.

"Circi, think about this..." Mari backed up into the hall. "What you're doing is insane! It has no thought whatsoever... please, Circi... don't do this..."

"WHY SHOULD I EVER LISTEN TO YOU?" she advanced, Shadow drawn into her figure. "YOU ALWAYS TREATED ME LIKE SECOND BEST, MAKING _ME_ RUN AROUND AFTER ALL YOUR CHORES. MAKING _ME_ DO ALL OF THESE THINGS YOU SHOULD RIGHTFULLY BE DOING YOURSELF..." her voice lowered slightly. "And now, with the Darkness sided with me, I can finally destroy you and the rest of this Raposa world for good!"

Shadow threw itself onto the walls inside Wilfre's study as Mari let out a scream as she ran out of the building. The two Raposa stumbled out of the building, Circi clutching the Book of Life. She raised an arm into the air, Darkness fired up and lifted her off the ground.

Circi aimed a paw at Mari, who fell into black-streaked snow. "It ends here."

Back in the Snowy Village prisons, Rosis was climbing a large, twisting flight of stairs. The walls were cold to the touch and the stone was coated with frost. This was the highest tower in the Main Building, it plunged up into the clouds, brushing the sky as the snow fell around it. Many a Raposa wondered who had built it, and if they'd seen the Creator up there with their own two eyes.

"C'mon, Jowee..." Rosis shuddered in the freezing temperatures. "Where are you?"

He shook his head in surprise, a wooden door cutting the staircase off abruptly.

"...What the...?"

Rosis pushed it open with the centre of his paw, the wood squeaking across the floor inside. He slipped through the gap as the door stuck. Inside was a complex set of papers stacked onto shelves, and beyond that, prison cells were seen.

"Jowee...?"

"Hm?"

His ears perked up. "Is that you Jowee?"

"Rosis, I'm in here." called a voice from the far right cell.

Rosis caught sight of two orange ears poking through the cell bars and a scarf drifting along with them in the breeze from the window.

"Jowee!" the Raposa raced to the rusted cell and rapped his furry paws around the bars. He smiled back at the familiar face advancing to him. The bell on Jowee's scarf jingled merrily.

"You came back for me..." he said, his voic trying to sound cheerful in the cold. "Why?"

Rosis smiled. "I would never let you go."


	18. The Madness Begins

CHAPTER 18

:The Madness Begins:

"C'mon, Jowee," Rosis called, throwing his body down the twisting flight of steps. "We need to get out of here before the knights find out you're gone."

The air was cold and damp with the thick snow outside, ice oozing in through the cracked brickwork. Footsteps echoed from wall to wall, bouncing bouncing in unison with the Raposas' breaths. Jowee folowed behind, running his paws along the stone beside him as his energy began to drop. Over the passed time, he had aged, his hair growing dull and dark, but he had kept his thirst for adventure by his side. This is what kept had him going throughout the years.

"It shouldn't be much further now," Rosis continued through raspy breaths. "Once we get into the corridor we can take it back to the others, and then we can get out of this-"

There was a flash of gold. He fell back into Jowee, who gripped his shoulders as the boy's eyes started to fade. Jowee looked up in surprise, resting Rosis against the wall.

"Hey!" he yelled, his pupils narrowing. "What are you doing?! You could have killed him!"

"Sorry," the knight in gold armour shrugged, the metal clinking heavily. "Boss's orders."

He swung a crystal-studded mallet in Jowee's direction, causing him to drop suddenly. The wall on the right crumbled and collapsed, snow and daylight pouring in. Jowee glanced out as he grabbed Rosis, the knight shielding his eyes and called for backup. Looming on the horizon was a dark cloud, contrasting the snow. His eyes widened at the bewildering sight.

"Oh no... no no no." Jowee dragged Rosis to the side, poking his head into the storm as the knight dug through the rubble after them. "Rosis, wake up! You have to wake up, please... the Shadow is here, we have to leave _now_."

He noticed the ledge outside and, knowing there was no other chance at escaping, Jowee lifted the boy onto his shoulder and wandered into the snow. The ice crunched under his numb paws.

Back in the forest, the sky was turning black. Mari was bolting around the tree trunks as Circi pursued overhead. She only looked back briefly to see the Darkness expelled into the sky. Trees shrivelled as the remaining flowers puled themselves closed. Shadow was gripping the Raposa world and pulling it back into the chaos it once was, all in all it reminded Mari a lot of Wilfre's reign.

Circi threw a tidal wave of Darkness. Mari sprawled through the air and hit a tree, the Shadow avoiding her body as if there was some hidden force.

"Prepare to meet your end, Creator scum..."

A thought sprung into her mind. _The Creator_. Mari held her head up to the sky and closed her eyes tightly.

 _Creator_ , she thought, _if you can hear me, please... stop this monster, I don't care if she kills me before you do, just please. This world means more than my life._

There was an explosion. Colour errupted from the Heavens, splashing out across the hillside. Mari fell... but there was no floor beneath her. Only a thick white sheet of nothing. She had seen this before, when Wilfre had proven a threat to the village.

Up above, Circi dropped, the Shadow sprawling off her body. "What?! No, the Creator..."

" **No** **more.** " The Creator's voice boomed through the whiteness. " **You shall not have her, she is needed.** "

"Yeah, ok." Circi rolled her eyes. "You nor a stupid Rapo can save you this time, the Darkness is too strong."

" **The Darkness will consume you, leaving you as soulless as Wilfre.** "

"Stop it! Don't say that about Wilfre!" she growled, Shadow flaring off her body. "He had complete control over it,"

" **Did he?** "

Circi was left to think as Mari got to her feet. She walked over the the Shadow above her. "The Creator is right," Mari said. "The Darkness is too powerful for any Raposa to harness. It will destroy you and whoever created it."

"I hope it does," Circi scowled, coming down to face her. "That Rapoboy was always so fragile, so weak. I'm surprised he's lasted this long, to be honest. But never the less, he will be corrupted soon enough."

"Rapoboy?" Mari exclaimed. "You brought the power of Darkness upon a child!? What kind of a sick monster are you...?" Circi smiled. "Creator, is this true? Is a Rapokid responsible for all that destruction?"

There was a pause, as if the Creator was ashamed to admit the truth. " **Yes, I fear Circi speaks the truth."**

"Then who is he? Who did this?!" Mari yelled to the Heavens. "Please... I don't know how much time we have left."

There was an explosion. The ground shook as the area regained colour, Shadow sprawling away from the trees and into the sky. It gripped onto the clouds as the wind changed direction. The Darkness began to head for the mountains. A tree branch knocked Circi out of the sky and onto the ground. Mari looked up, something was wrong and she knew it.

"Creator!" she yelled over the wind as leaves pulled at her ears. "What's happening? The Darkness it's..."

" **Find the Raposa...** " The Creator's voice was hoarse and broken. " **I fear I can no longer help you. Find him... before it's too late.** "

The sky went black on the horizon. Mari gasped and looked around, seeing Circi trapped underneath the branch. The Shadow was creeping off her and into the sky.

"Oh no," Mari cried. "What am I going to do? The Creator's gone..." she ran over to Circi and pulled on her arm. She was out cold. "Circi! Please get up!"

A gust brought a ring of Shadow into the sky, thick oily fog rolling quickly through the leaves. Something was hidden in the undergrowth: it had sharp claws and white eyes. Shadow Creatures! A howl echoed through the forest as the clouds circled above.

Mari stood up and ran, leaving the Raposa behind.

Back in the prisons, Jowee dragged Rosis onto the balcony and into the storm. The snow was crunching under his weight and pelting into his eyes. He could hear the knights breaking through the rubble.

"Rosis," Jowee fell to the icy floor. "Wake up, I can't do this on my own. Please, just please..."

There was a flicker of light in his purple eyes. He scrunched up his face. "Gah, Jowee?" Rosis lifted his head up. "Where... where are we?"

"Rosis!" Jowee wrapped him in a tight hug. "Thank the Creator you're alive!"

"Yeah, I'm fine." he got to his feet and looked behind him at the hole in the wall, recalling the events. A knight had broken through and was pursuing them. "Jowee, we've gotta get out of here..."

"C'mon!"

Jowee gripped hold of Rosis' sleeve and dragged him through the snow. He kept close to the wall, it was hard to tell when the balcony ended.

"GET BACK HERE!" a knight was behind them, his armour clunking against the tiles beneath the white.

The two Raposa jumped a small gap, briefly turning back to see the knight leaping after them. There was a rumble as he landed and crashed through the roof, the foundations giving in under the pressure. Rosis backed up and slipped on the edge, his trousers catching on a stalactite.

"Jowee!" his breath was snatched away as he fell, his paw meeting with another paw.

"I got you." Jowee was above him, clasping onto his orange paw. "Don't let go!" his grip was loosening. "Rosis!" he let go. "No!"

Rosis plummeted through the icy air, his body slicing through the snowfall. He struggled for air, his limbs reaching out for something to grab hold of. He caught sight of the ground, rocketing towards him. Rosis didn't get a chance to scream before there was impact.

Up above, Jowee didn't even see him hit the bottom. Rosis' shape faded into nothing about halfway down. His paws clawed at the snow in frustration and sadness, but he didn't have time to grieve. Two much lighter knights appeared around the corner, causing him to dart away.

Jowee's breath was rasping in his throat as he ran through the cold. The knights were gaining on him, quickly. He skidded to a halt as he ran out of balcony to run on, frantically looking around for a chance of escape Jowee threw himself down a ladder that lead to a rooftop ahead of him. His paws grabbed at the footholds, the ice making it quite difficult to get a steady placing. The snow was much thinner on the roof, but the ice took its place. Jowee took a breath and slipped along the tiles.

The first knight clunked behind him, a mallet hurled past him and crashed into a wall. Jowee leaped to the side and noticed an open window. He took the chance. Galloping at full speed, he dived through the gap and found himself in a torchlit corridor.


End file.
